Song of the Heart Redux: GX Arc
by zeroblackdragon15
Summary: (Continuation from G arc) Eighteen months after the events at Frontier, all seems quiet. But unknown to S.O.N.G., a new threat stirs beneath the surface, sparking a clash that threatens to burn everything they had fought for to the ground. As the fires of alchemy spring to life, the wielders' next battle begins.
1. When There's Smoke

**Song of the Heart: Redux-GX Arc-**

Author's Notes: Welcome to the next stage, or so they say. Welcome back to "Song of the Heart Redux". It's finally time for the GX arc to begin! There's a lot of things to get to today, so I'm not going to waste any time here; I think you'll enjoy what's in store. Please note that outside of a small piece at the start, GX arc takes place a year after the events of G Arc's Interlude 2; as such, we'll get to see these characters having grown a bit further than before. And don't worry; I promise that this is the last highly lengthy skip in time that you'll see.

I'd like to once more thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Ada1229, for allowing me to adopt her story and idea and make it into my own from there. Also, I'd like to thank both solopy567 and StealthyTanub for being beta readers on this chapter, as well as being amazing with help sorting through ideas when needed. Let's go.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX, Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ, or Senki Zesshou Symphogear XD Unlimited. It is owned by those who own it. I also do not own any music used as insert songs here; they are owned by the respective songwriters and artists.**

 **Please note; the record label used in this fic, Galactic Music Japan, is** _ **NOT**_ **a real music label as far as I know, but is a parody made solely for the purposes of this story. The same goes for JAM TV; as far as I know, it's not a real music channel on TV, again a parody made up for the purposes of this story. This also applies to the EUROBEATS Festival as well; I don't believe that it's a real festival, but I could be wrong.**

 **Also, no music quoted within the story belongs to me. The rights to any and all pieces used belong to their artists and record labels. I did buy a copy of the single CDs that the songs are from though, so thank iTunes for most of that. This chapter, "Ambiguous" and Grilletto" by Garnidelia will both be utilized; please support the official releases (I purchased a copy of both songs' singles). Also, credit goes out to lyrical nonsense for their translations of both songs.**

 **Acknowledgements: Once more, I would like to thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Ada1229, for her support in adopting this idea and making it my own. I would also like to thank a couple of friends of mine outside of (they know who they are) for acting as sounding boards when I have ideas for this that may seem a bit on the wild side.**

' _Insert thought here_ '=character thoughts

 _Flashback Is in Italics with nothing around it_

 _-Song lyrics are shown in italics between dashes-_

 **GX Chapter 1: When There's Smoke**

 _ **S.O.N.G. Storage & Testing Facility "Byakkou", Unknown location near Mt. Fuji, 1 Day After Lydian Graduation**_

"What's going on out there?" The doctor asked, hands bound in handcuffs as he sat on the bed of his holding cell, alarms echoing outside his chamber. Climbing to his feet, Ver walked over to the edge of the window looking outside, his eyes taking in the sight of the mountain pass around the facility. "Answer me! Aren't you supposed to tell me just what's happening?"

"It's none of your concern, Ver. Now keep your mouth shut and settle down," The guard posted outside his cell shot back, a sharpness to his voice tipping the doctor off that something was decidedly wrong. Returning to his spot sitting on the bed the mad scientist fell silent, an agitated look on his face as he listened to the comments of the guard outside.

"Understood. I'll keep an eye out for them," Ver's guard said, voice muffled slightly before the alarms went quiet. Listening as the sound of the guard's footsteps echoed just outside the door, Ver spoke once again, a questioning tone to his voice.

"I'll ask again. What's going on?" The doctor had spent the previous six months in isolation since the incident on _Frontier_. And while it had dispelled any notion of being a hero from his mind, he still couldn't help but feel as though he had been in the right, his Nephilim-enhanced arm tensing at his thoughts.

"If I tell you, will you shut the hell up?"

At the doctor's silent reply, the guard shook his head slightly, an annoyed tone entering his voice as he continued to speak.

"There's an intruder on the grounds. We're not sure what they're here for, but we're not taking chances."

"And what does that mean for me?"

"How should I know? We don't know what they're after, or even where they are. It could even be a false alarm. But I will say this much; you're safe here. We're not taking any chances about your protection.. Not with the trial being this close, and your transfer to another location coming tomorrow."

"An intruder, huh…" Ver muttered to himself as he sat back on his bed. Falling back onto the bed and staring at the ceiling, its gray gunmetal greeting him, he felt a sense of dread swell up within his core. "It couldn't be one of them, could it? No; it's too soon for them to make their move…"

"What are you muttering on about in there?" His guard said, an exasperation to his voice as he spoke. Before he could say anything further, the sound of additional footsteps reached the doctor's ears, as the guard outside spoke up again, a relieved tone in his words. "About time you showed up. The prisoner's been a bit of a problem tonight. The guy just won't shut up."

"I'll be sure to keep that in mind," The new voice said, a cheery tone to their voice which sent chills down Ver's spine.

"I'll leave him to you, then." At that, the doctor heard the sound of his previous guard's footsteps fading further and further away, leaving him all to his lonesome with the new guard tasked with watching over him. And while he felt as though he should be secure, the sense of dread that had risen previously only continued to grow. Turning to look away from the entrance to what he considered his cell, the doctor tried to stay calm even as the footsteps finally became too distant to be heard.

"You know, finding out that I'd be assigned to this was a real pain in the ass," His new guard said, their voice filling the room and sending shivers down Ver's spine as he continued to look away from the doorway. Moments later, the sound of the seal on his holding unit opened with a hiss, the entrance sliding open and admitting the guard into the cell. "After all, there's plenty of other things I could be doing with my night right now. I could be out on a different mission or dealing with other, more important things for the future. But alas, here I am. Asked to clean up the mess that you made."

A pause, the sound of the speaker's footsteps drawing closer to him sending shivers up Ver's spine.

"It's really too bad, Doctor. Our leader was VERY pleased with the results you had forwarded us regarding the serum you had made. Unfortunately, you just had to go and try to destroy the whole world with that Nephilim of yours. And then you also got yourself captured, so now command can't take the risk of you spilling any info about us," The footsteps came to a stop, a cold metal pressing itself against the back of the doctor's skull. "Not when the fragments are only just now starting to spread."

"H-H-HELP! ANYONE! SHE'S GOING TO-" Ver started to scream, the shrillness of his voice being cut off by his assailant's gloved hand smothering his mouth. Not feeling the metal pressed against his skull moving at all, the doctor froze, his assailant speaking up once again.

"Tsk tsk, Doctor. I was going to have my fun with this, too," She said, a sadistic tone entering her voice. Stepping around to enter his field of vision, her weapon doing the same, she continued, the vicious smirk on her face becoming evident to the scientist. "No one else is anywhere near here; I made sure of that. And that last guard of yours is too far away now. Oh well."

Bringing her weapon back up to bear and placing it under the Doctor's chin, the young woman frowned before speaking one last line, her flowing locks illuminated under the moonlight and making her face known to him. It would be the last thing he ever saw.

"Sayonara, Doctor. May you rot in hell where you belong."

She pulled the trigger, the doctor's brains flying across the room and splattering against the pristine storage chamber's wall. Standing up and away from Ver's now deceased body, his assassin wiped clean the barrel of her weapon before returning it to its holster.

"What a disgusting person," She said, her disgust tattooed across her face as she started to arrange things around the room. Quickly finishing her handiwork and stepping away, she keyed her radio and prepared to speak, being sure to shroud her voice in feigned panic.

"H-help! This is Security officer zero-two-theta-omega. We have a situation at the special holding area. Doctor Ver is...is…" She trailed off, before cutting the radio feed and awaiting the reply of the facility's emergency management group. And as she left the area later that evening, a devilish grin found its way onto her face before she pulled a phone out of her pocket and dialed the only contact number listed. Waiting a brief moment and checking to see that no one was around, she finally spoke.

"It's done, sir. Doctor Ver has been eliminated. What are your orders?"

A pause.

"Very well then. I'll return to ground and await future orders."

Silence again, the voice on her phone stating something brief before disconnecting.

"It's still too early to reveal our purpose..." A sigh. "But, when we do…"

"This planet won't know what hit it."

-GX-

 _ **Unknown Time, Unknown Location**_

 _Smoke filled her lungs, stinging her eyes as she ran. All around her piles of rubble and debris filled the streets of the formerly busy metropolis, fires blazing uncontrolled around the area. And yet she couldn't bring herself to stop moving, a sense of dread filling her stomach. As if to taunt her, a wall of green fire rose above the damaged buildings nearby, its emerald flames tickling the sky and causing an ominous glow to cover the streets as she entered the nearby intersection, the area deserted except for herself and who knew what else could be out there._

' _What's happening…' she thought, her ears filled with the crackling sound of destruction around her as she came to a stop, her pajama top fluttering in the harsh, smoke-filled air. Looking around her, she frowned, her eyes scanning for any sort of survivors before the sound of nearby combat entered her ears. Turning towards where the sound had been coming from she started to run, feet pounding against the cracked pavement beneath her. 'I have to hurry…'_

 _The sudden scream of a familiar voice nearby brought her to a halt, eyes darting upwards just in time to see a beam of light rip through a nearby building, consuming it in what looked like liquid fire. Looking up as slabs of hardened concrete fell alongside shattered glass to the deserted street below she narrowed her eyes slightly, reaching up towards her neck for where her relic's necklace usually sat...only to find it missing._

" _What? Where's…." she whispered, before the sound of one of her friend's pained cries got her attention. Running in the direction she heard the voice, she raced past piles of rubble, fires sizzling where stores she had been familiar with had stood before. Rounding a corner and entering a square in front of the local government building had stood, she looked up just in time for an agonized scream to garner her attention._

" _That was…" she trailed off, only for a small explosion to resound from nearby, something striking the ground outside of the local coffee shop as she spoke, a scream of agony that sent chills down her spine as the storefront collapsed. "No...please no…" she managed to gasp out before running over and trying to remove concrete and glass from atop the pile. Soon enough she found what looked to be the arm of the person she had heard scream in pain, the white and blue gloved limb sticking out from within the rubble and causing her to dig faster, even as the sound of nearby battle raged through her ears._

" _Hang on...Tsubasa…" she grunted out, clearing away more rubble before the sight of the bluenette caused her to step back, eyes wide. "What...happened to you…" she gasped out, her friend's entire right side seemingly blasted away. Turning away, the image engraving itself into her memory against her will as her mentor's blood dripped onto the cracked ground beneath her, she looked towards where the sounds of combat had resumed in time for another pained scream to ring out, her anger rising at the sound._

" _No…was that Maria?" she whispered to herself before running towards the damaged government building, its twin spires riddled with what looked like missile impacts on their surfaces, large chunks of windows missing. But as she approached, something else also made itself apparent, a large shadowy structure floating high above the ground in between the towers._

" _What the..." She gasped out, her eyes widened at the sight before her. Before she could say anything else, the sound of her girlfriend's voice crying out in anger got her attention, a trail of energy arrows lancing up into the air. 'No...Chris…' she thought, her feet moving on autopilot as she ran towards where the sound of conflict made themselves known. Arriving atop a nearby pile of rubble where a small office building had once stood, she felt her anger boil over as a mysterious figure stood, one hand holding Chris up by her neck before she spoke up._

" _PUT HER DOWN!" She shouted, only for the shadowed figure to turn its head her way and reply, a mocking tone to its voice._

" _Oh? And what will YOU do to stop me if I don't? Your friends all tried to stop me already, and you've seen what's happened to some of them," The figure said, its hand squeezing at her girlfriend's neck slightly harder, Chris struggling to breathe. Laughing quietly as if to mock the redhead, the figure pointed its free hand towards Chris' body, a mysterious sigil appearing in front of it before a wave of light blasted forwards and punched straight through, killing her instantly as her blood fell to the cracked pavement below._

" _You can't save anything," The shadow said. "Not them...not her...and not yourself." Raising one hand towards where Hibiki stood, the shadowy figure fired, the redhead's world turning a brilliant white despite her screams…_

 _ **Boudica Hotel, London, England, 18 hours Prior to EUROBEATS Festival, 1 Year After Lydian Graduation  
**_

Hibiki awoke with a start as she sat up in bed, eyes wide as she stared at the wall across from her hotel room bed with only the raggedness of her breathing filling the room. Hands clenching the sheets tightly she broke the silence, her eyes narrowed in frustration at what she had seen.

"That dream again…" she whispered, her hair sticking lightly to her face as she stood up, the small sheen of sweat covering her body making her pajamas cling to her. Walking to the window overlooking the busy streets of the city around her, she continued, one clenched fist resting lightly on the window. "Damnit…"

Turning to look outside of the window she tried to calm herself down, the breathing techniques she had learned from her time in training over two years prior coming back to her mind in earnest. ' _It's okay...it was just a nightmare…_ ' she told herself, the unfamiliar cityscape outside greeting her with its brilliant glow. _'Chris is safe at home...everyone else is fine too…'_ she thought before turning back to her bed, taking note of the time on the clock next to it. ' _Two Thirty in the morning…_ ' she noted, her tired mind trying to focus enough to do the time conversion.

The thought of figuring out what her girlfriend would be doing caused the images of her dream to return to the front of her mind, shivers running down the normally composed young idol's spine. ' _It's been like this for months now…'_ she thought, her frustration growing even as she took a seat on the window ledge. She had lost count of the number of nights she had woken up in the middle of the night screaming; the dreams occurred regardless of if she was at home with Chris next to her or when she was on tour. But no matter what, there were always certain similarities; a damaged and destroyed city, as well as the mangled and destroyed figures of her friends around her before something she couldn't see finally killed the young woman she had fallen in love with in front of her eyes.

' _And every time, I'm powerless to do anything to stop it…_ ' she thought, fingers reaching up and tracing lightly around her neck, the familiar silver chain that held her relic pendant resting exactly where it always was. Pulling the crystal out from underneath her pajama top she stared into it, a ruby glow filling the room as it refracted the city lights outside, the red glow reminding her of her snow-haired girlfriend and causing her to smile softly.

"At least I'll be able to get home soon," she whispered. The redhead had been asked to perform as part of a charity event for Noise victims alongside numerous other artists as a result of how her career had taken off, including some that she had never heard of before. And while she was honored to be a part of the concert, it would be her first time performing on stage outside of Japan, something that was causing her nerves to shoot through the ceiling.

"I'm not going to be able to sleep like this…" she whispered, voice trailing off as she stood from her seat and walked over to the closet she was using for her stay. Reaching inside and grabbing a pair of yoga pants along with an orange athletic shirt, she quickly got changed before pausing, her phone sitting on the nightstand and calling out to her. ' _Maybe talking to her will help…'_ she thought, walking to where her phone sat before picking it up, sliding her finger to open the lock on the device. Pulling up her contacts and finding a specific number, she started a call before walking into the main area of the hotel suite, the sound of the ringtone greeting her ears as she took a seat by the window. Soon the ringing came to a stop as the person she was calling finally answered, bringing a small smile back to the redhead's face.

"Hello?" Chris said, her voice coming through the phone easily, the sound of people talking in the background fading away as Chris continued to speak. "Hibiki? What are you doing awake? Isn't it...two thirty in the morning over there?"

"Yeah, it is," the redhead replied, her small smile growing slightly. "But...can't I call you just to hear you?"

"B-b-baka…" Chris trailed off, the image of the snow-haired girl's blushing face appearing in Hibiki's mind as she spoke. "You can do that, you just...caught me by surprise." Taking a moment to pause, the sound of activity fading away as she entered a quiet room, she continued, a worried tone entering her voice as she spoke.

"Still...what's going on? Don't you have that concert tonight?"

"Yeah," the redhead replied distantly, her words drawing a small hum from Chris' lips. Before she could really say too much more Chris answered back, catching onto the unspoken hints her girlfriend was providing.

"Hey...are you okay? How's London? I know Maria was supposed to meet you when you got there."

"Ah…"Hibiki said, eyes looking out of the window towards the cityscape around her. "I'm okay; Maria picked me up and showed me some of the sights already, and we had the dress rehearsal yesterday. If anything, it's just as rainy as I thought it would be. How are things back home?"

"It's…quiet," Chris replied, her tone softening slightly and saying so much more than just the two words themselves could. "You didn't answer the question though. Are you okay?"

"Yeah...just having trouble getting to sleep, that's all."

"Hibiki…" Chris said in response, the worry she felt returning to her voice full force. "That dream again?"

Silence, the redhead's lack of a response confirming Chris' suspicions on the spot.

"Hibiki, I'm here. I'm okay. You know that."

"I know, but...I just have this feeling that something's going to happen."

"Then if it happens, we'll-" At this, Chris paused, the sound of one of her coworkers trying to speak with her coming faintly through the phone. Sighing slightly she spoke up again, a frustration to her voice.

"Look...I know you're worried. But I'm here, and I'm alive, you baka…so please, don't worry about it. If...if something happens, we'll face it together, okay? I don't want you being an idiot and trying to solve it all on your own."

"Yeah...we will," Hibiki replied, nodding slightly as she smiled, her tone coming through the phone and reaching her girlfriend's ears.

"I've gotta get back to work. Tsubasa, Miku, Kirika, Shirabe, and I will all be watching, so do your best. And...I'll be waiting for you when you get home."

Nodding in response to the snow-haired girl's words, Hibiki spoke up again, her smile widening slightly.

"I know...I can't wait to get home and see you."

"Mmm…I'll be waiting," Chris hummed slightly in agreement, her smile appearing in the _Gungnir_ wielder's mind as she spoke. "You ready for your concert?"

"Yeah...and I think you'll like what I'm performing tonight."

"Oh? Now you've got me intrigued," Chris said, drawing a small laugh from the redhead. "I'll talk to you later on, okay? And Hibiki, please...take care of yourself and get some sleep. I love you."

"Love you too, Chris."

At that the call ended, Hibiki bringing the phone down from her ear to her side before closing her eyes slightly, her girlfriend's words filling her mind. Taking a deep breath, she stood from her seat before going towards the door to the hotel room, grabbing her keys and the small workout bag she had kept there before heading out the door toward her destination, her mind preparing for the lengthy day ahead.

 _ **Unknown Location, Unknown Time**_

Carol opened her eyes, a scowl of frustration written across her face as she sat on the throne. ' _Another one...another one of those dreams…'_ she thought, her eyes glaring out at the seemingly empty space in front of her. Raising one hand up into the air she concentrated, a ball of light appearing above her hand before separating, each portion floating over towards the glass orbs across the room and sparking them to life.

"Those fires have meant nothing but hell for me…" she trailed off, a quartet of smaller platforms rising up across from her on the platform at the center of the room. "They've destroyed EVERYTHING I love and care about. From my home to my father, they've done nothing but cause more pain and suffering."

Pausing for a moment as the first of the figures atop the platforms in the center of the room stirred to life she continued, her eyes narrowing further in frustration as a smirk came onto her face.

"I guess that makes it all the more...ironic how the force that they used to take EVERYTHING from me will soon leave the world with NOTHING." Pausing mid-rant, she frowned slightly, a brief image flashing into her mind before she continued, her eyes glancing towards where the slowly stirring figure relaxed its pose.

"So I see that she's finally making her move, eh? So foolish…" the young woman said, her cloak billowing around her as she stood from her throne. Descending the stairs towards the central throne, she continued, her voice low and holding a dangerous edge. "Such a foolish little being...thinking that her taking _that_ will stop me…" Finally reaching where the figure took a brief bow, she paused, mind quickly formulating an idea.

"On the other hand...perhaps I can use this," she said, the figure in front of her standing in front of her as if awaiting her orders. "Leiur, follow our foolish friend, will you? And try not to draw too much attention to yourself this time."

"Just follow?" The figure replied, a neutral expression on her face. "I'm surprised; you normally would want me to kill her or capture her."

"Scare her a little, I don't care. Just don't kill her this time." Pausing as she turned towards where another pair of figures stood, she continued, a small smirk coming onto her face. "Our plans might need her to survive, after all. Now go."

At the young woman's command, the figure bowed before departing, her body vanishing in a flash of golden light. Not even turning to look Carol continued, even as the remaining pair of figures began to stir, their frames moving stiffly as if they had been holding their poses for an extended time.

"As for you two…" she ordered, a vicious gleam entering her eyes as they slowly danced their way over to their mistress. "I have special missions in mind for the two of you. You know what I need you to do, don't you?"

"Yes, my mistress," The pair of figures replied, bowing before the young woman as she grinned, a twisted feeling filling the air around them as she prepared to speak once again.

"Good. Then get into position and wait for my signal. I think it's time that we introduce ourselves to the world…"

Another sphere of light appeared, this time showing an image of what looked to be a domed building, festival-like banners wrapped around itself to promote the event that would occur inside

"We might as well have a little bit of _fun_ before everything the people of this world love gets turned to _ash_."

 _ **Yokohama Port, Yokohama, Japan, 12 Hours Prior to EUROBEATS Festival**_

' _So far so good…'_ the young woman thought, stepping out into the late afternoon harbor air as the small portal she had used to escape the alchemist's lair closed behind her. Quickly checking her surroundings she began to run, her mind focused solely on where she was trying to go, as well as on the precious cargo she was carrying.

"It can't be this easy," she said, running around the corner of the shipping container and towards the main office of the port. Cloak billowing behind her as she went, she continued to run, her arms clutching the ancient box she held tightly. "Carol...she always sends _them_ after her targets. I couldn't have gotten away cleanly, could I?" Rounding the corner towards the gate leading out of the port she paused, quickly checking the area around her before the sound of a familiar laugh caused her to freeze in place.

"You're smart," Leiur called out from her place on top of the office building, staring down towards where the young woman stood. Flipping a coin up into the air she continued, her eyes glowing hauntingly in the early summer night sky as the cloaked figure looked up to meet her gaze. "For you to realize that you didn't likely get away unnoticed, and to know how my mistress normally reacts when she has a target in mind, but still act like you have anyways...that tenacity and intellect makes it obvious why you're her favorite, Elfnein."

A vicious grin appeared on her face, as Elfnein stared at her defiantly while slowly backing towards the gate leading out of the port.

"But even though you're her favorite, you're still turning your back on what Carol-sama is trying to do...and I can't allow you to escape." Flipping her coin up into the air one more time, she smirked as a number of small pools of light appeared around her before they opened fire, small coins streaking downwards towards the young woman and impacting the concrete she stood on, shattering it and sending debris soaring into the night sky and filling the area with dust.

"I know that you're not done in by something that simple, you runaway," Leiur called out, her oddly mechanical voice echoing through the warm summer air. As if to respond, a soft glow made itself known within the dust cloud, the veil parting to reveal a panting Elfnein with one arm raised towards the sky, a pale yellow barrier fading from existence. Lowering her arm, the young woman stepped backwards before turning and running towards the gate.

"Heh...still using that damn barricade trick? How...plain," Leiur said before shooting another barrage of coins towards the young woman, missing her only to impact the shipping container to her left, shredding it to bits and scattering twisted chunks of steel into the evening air while knocking the young woman to the concrete beneath her. "Oops...I guess I missed," she continued, the twisted grin she wore not melting in the slightest.

"She's sharper than this normally…" Elfnein whispered to herself, slowly pushing herself off the pavement while checking to ensure that her cargo was still in one piece. Satisfied with what she found, she continued, shaking her head slightly before starting to run once again, eyes glancing towards the nearby gate. "It doesn't matter though. I can't let her catch me. Not yet...not when I still have to warn them…"

Watching somewhat silently as Elfnein exited the port and continued to flee, Leiur scoffed before moving to follow, her movements mechanical yet still fluid. Leaping to a nearby rooftop outside of the port and scanning the area below she spotted the last vestige of Elfnein's cloak disappearing into a nearby alleyway, her vicious grin returning to her face as she moved to follow.

"Well...let our game of cat and mouse begin. I hope you keep this entertaining for me..."

 _ **S.O.N.G. Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan, 12 Hours Prior to EUROBEATS Festival**_

Alarms blared within the command center of S.O.N.G. Headquarters, the small group of bridge bunnies on duty quickly responding as the alert made its presence felt. Looking up at the monitor in concern, Genjurou felt a frown come onto his face as he spoke up.

"A reading in Yokohama, huh? Do we have anything that it could compare to?" he asked, eyes narrowed as he stood at the head of the room. As if to answer the commander's question, Aoi replied from her seat to Genjurou's right, her fingers flying over the keys to her station as she tried to take in the data.

"No, taichou," she began, her eyes taking in the information as quickly as she could. "We haven't seen anything like this at all, but we're searching as quickly as possible." At her words the alarms suddenly fell silent, the reading on the monitor fading away as a single word came onto the screen, framed by a yellow border and causing Genjurou's frown to deepen further, his fingers drumming slightly as he crossed his arms in contemplation, the activity on the bridge returning to normal.

"Great...so it's gone, just like that. Fujitaka, were we at least able to get it recorded?"

"Hai, taichou," The brunette man replied from his seat to Genjurou's left, eyes quickly scanning over the data that had been taken. "Do you want me to pass it to analytics?"

"Do it," the mountain of a man ordered, his nod accentuating the urgency of the situation. Visibly decompressing as he retook his seat at the head of the room, he continued, eyes shutting lightly as he tried to think of what could be happening. "Whatever that was, I have this feeling that we're only seeing the start of it."

"Yeah, and add that on top of how we still have that investigation going on…" Aoi replied, her words causing her brunette coworker to look at her, a contemplative look on his face as he spoke up.

"Yeah...Didn't Ogawa-san say that he was following a lead that he had, but that it had gone completely cold?"

Genjurou nodded, his mind turning back to what his subordinates were discussing. ' _To have been able to get to where Ver was being held without too much of a disruption, get in, and kill him like that…_ ' he began, the frown on his face growing wider at the thought. ' _Whoever did that...they were damn good, that's for sure…'_

"That doesn't matter at the moment," Genjurou said, his eyes opening as he pulled up the data they had been able to record. "Right now, we should focus on trying to figure out just what that signal was." Drawing nods from the bridge bunnies on duty, he frowned, a worried look flashing onto his face briefly as he focused in on where the reading had been and what it could have been. After first dealing with Finé and then the Frontier Crisis, he had begun to develop a feeling for these types of events, a major reason why he had been appointed commander of S.O.N.G. on its reconstitution.

' _And right now, I can't help but feel as though that blip was just the beginning…'_

 _ **Restaurant "Red Clover", Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, 9 Hours Prior To EUROBEATS Festival**_

"I'll be right back with your orders," the waitress said, walking away from the table with menus in hand and leaving Miku and her girlfriend to themselves. Smiling slightly as she looked at the younger girl across from her, Miku reached out, lightly squeezing her hand and causing her to blush softly.

"You look great tonight," she said, the smile on her face and tone of her words causing the now-junior at Lydian to smile softly in return before replying, her eyes looking towards MIku as she spoke.

"You too, Miku," Yuri replied, the brunette's hair hanging lightly over her shoulders as she spoke. "Where'd you hear about this place from? It looks…really high-end, but the prices don't seem too out of this world."

"Ah…" Miku began in response, the smile on her face growing slightly as she spoke. "Both Hibiki and Chris recommended it to me a couple months ago. I have to say that they're right though; it really is a nice spot."

A pause, the dating couple falling into a comfortable silence as they tried to absorb the environment of the restaurant. They had been seated and served immediately, something which seemed unusual to the duo for a Friday night. ' _Guess we arrived at the right time…_ ' Miku thought, reaching up and lightly brushing her long, dark hair back and over her shoulder, fingertips lightly tracing the lavender t-shirt she was wearing. Leaning in and taking a sip from her water glass, she spoke up again, green orbs locking onto the younger girl's own brown ones.

"So...I wanted to apologize for missing our Friday night last week," MIku said, her words drawing a grateful smile from the brunette across from her. Before she could say anything more, Yuri spoke up, the smile she wore softening slightly.

"It's okay…" the brunette said in response, a grateful smile appearing on her face as she placed her hand on top of Miku's own, fingers trained from years of playing the keyboard stringing between Miku's own and intertwining them. "You had that exam you needed to get ready for. I'm not even remotely mad about it."

"I still want to make it up to you though," The older of the two girls replied, forest green meeting earthy brown as the duo smiled softly. "You deserve that much from me. I know that I've been busy with pre-med classes, but I still managed to make time for us until last week."

"Well, you don't need to," Yuri whispered, a small smile on her face as she squeezed the older girl's hand briefly. "Besides, our time together…has been more than I thought it would be."

"Why's that?" Miku asked, a single eyebrow raised in response. Before she could say anything else, the brunette continued, hands not untangling from the older girl's as she spoke, the smile on her face causing Miku's heart to flutter rapidly.

"I mean...I'd like to think that I've come a long way since we first started going out," the brunette said, her smile causing Miku's own to grow in response. "I was so nervous when I first asked you, remember?"

Quiet laughter from the duo, the memory of Yuri's presenting the love letter to Miku appearing in both girls' minds.

"And now look at how far we've come…" she trailed off, the now-familiar warm smile refusing to dissipate. "It's hard to believe that it's been a year though. Next year I'll be getting ready to graduate too."

"Well, don't wish that time away," Miku replied teasingly, causing the younger girl to pout slightly. "You're the president of your club this upcoming year, right?"

"Yeah," the brunette beamed, an excitement entering her voice. "We don't have too many returning members though, not this year." Listening in as the younger girl started to discuss her plans for the year, Miku found herself lost in thought as she took in the sight of the brunette in front of her speaking excitedly.

' _She's right...it really has been an interesting year…'_ The dark-haired girl thought, nodding as her date continued to talk about some of the potential new members of the club. ' _She's so engaging...and always so open. It's nice…and feels so different from back then…'_

The young couple dating for a year was not the only major thing that had gone on in Miku's life however. Continuing to smile as Yuri kept talking about her standing in the light music club, she allowed herself to reflect on her first year of medical classes and the work they entailed.

' _It's been a tough one too…Almost everyone else in my classes seem so much further along than I am…'_ She thought, the images of the hours she had spent studying causing her to frown slightly, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"Miku? You okay?" Yuri asked, causing the older girl to blush slightly before replying, a small smile on her face.

"Yeah, I'm fine. Just kinda thinking about how much has gone on this past year, that's all," She said, a look of relief washing over the younger girl in response. "I'm sure the club will do great this year, Yuri. You guys crushed it back at the Spring festival for your performance."

"Miku...you're just saying that," Yuri responded, face flushing pink. "We didn't do _that_ well. It felt a tick flat at times."

"Well, I thought you were great."

Silence fell over the couple as the younger girl's face turned bright red, a relieved smile on her face. Trying to break the silence, Miku continued, her eyes catching a glimpse of a promotional billboard nearby.

"So, excited about the concert?" She asked, her words causing the younger girl to nod in silence, her face flushing deeper.

"Yeah, I am," Yuri said, voice going somewhat quiet. "I guess...I'm just nervous. i just hope Chris-san doesn't mind me coming with you for it."

"Relax," Miku responded, her hand reaching back across the table and squeezing the younger girl's reassuringly. "Chris was the one who asked if I was going to invite you to begin with, so I'm sure she's okay with it. So just relax and try to have some fun tonight, okay?"

Looking up towards where her girlfriend of almost a year sat, the brunette responded, the smile on her face as their waitress came back with their orders on the tray.

"Okay," Yuri said, the red-clad waitress placing her meal in front of her. "I"ll try to. But how about you? Isn't there any particular artists that you're looking forward to seeing?"

Smiling softly, Miku laughed quietly before replying, an amused look on her face.

"Just a couple," She said, turning her attention to her meal. Looking back towards her date she continued, an amused look in her eyes as she watched the younger girl eat her meal, the medium-sized caesar salad on her plate being steadily consumed. "You already know one of them, but I'm also looking forward to seeing that one artist from Germany. How about you?"

"Ah...I'm the same way," Yuri replied, the lighting of the room only accentuating the sleeveless white blouse she wore. As the brunette launched into an explanation of the performers at the festival she was looking forward to seeing, Miku smiled, a serenity falling over her that she had found herself experiencing many times over the last year. Allowing the feeling to surround her, a single thought ran through her mind as she started to consume her own meal.

' _I guess that those feelings I had for you really could be given to someone else, huh, Hibiki?'_

 _ **Tachibana-Yukine Apartment, Chuuou, Tokyo, 8 Hours Prior to EUROBEATS Festival**_

"Sorry we're late," Shirabe said as she entered the apartment with a small box held in her arms, the twin-tailed girl's pink backpack hanging over her shoulder. Smiling softly as she turned her head to look behind her she continued, her eyes looking towards where her blonde friend was following close behind. "We couldn't figure out what type of drinks we wanted to get."

"It's fine. It's not like you missed anything," Chris replied, holding the door open and waiting for her juniors to walk in. "I just got home fifteen minutes ago, and the others haven't even gotten here yet." Pausing for a moment as the younger girls removed their shoes, she continued, her long snow-colored hair hanging loosely just as it had since graduation as she walked past the duo. "Shirabe, can you help me get some of the food started?"

Nodding in response to the older girl, Shirabe made her way into the small kitchen that was linked to the common area, setting down the small box she had been holding on the small dining table next to its entrance. Smiling softly as her friend made her way over towards what she truly enjoyed doing, Kirika spoke up, a curiosity to her voice as she looked at the older girl next to her.

"Anything I can do to help?" The blonde asked, the energetic look on her face growing slightly as Chris paused, lost in thought. "And what ARE you making, anyways?"

"Kirika, I'm pretty sure that Chris probably doesn't want you in her and Hibiki's kitchen," Shirabe replied, a small smile on her face as she finished washing her hands. Laughing softly in response to the younger girl's words, Chris spoke up, her normal fire evident as she turned her gaze towards the younger blonde.

"Damn right I don't, not after what I've heard about her cooking abilities," Chris said, glaring directly at the younger blonde. "As for what we're making...you'll just have to see."

"Ah...I'm not that bad, am I, Shirabe?" Kirika whined, eyes glancing at her best friend. Staring back, a stoney look on her face, Shirabe responded, looking up from where she had been reading over the recipe cards Chris had gotten out.

"Kirika, you nearly lit the school's student-use kitchen on fire when you tried to make that Beef Stroganoff recipe they asked us to make last week for class."

"Ah…" The blonde muttered, a sheepish look on her face as she tried to think of an excuse. "It was an accident though."

"Kei-san looked like she was going to strangle you."

"Okay, I get it…" Kirika said in response as she took a seat on the couch across from the plasma flatscreen mounted on the wall, the monitor dark in its inactive state. Taking note of the younger girl's despondent state, Chris let out a sigh before speaking up, even as she moved to join Shirabe in the kitchen.

"Look, Kirika, keep your head up," she said, a small smile on her face before pausing to pull out some ingredients from the refrigerator. "Even though there's no way in hell you're helping cook, tonight's about watching the concert and supporting the artists performing. Aren't there some of them that you're looking forward to seeing?"

Silence filled the air, the younger girl stopping to consider her answer, even as the sounds of Shirabe and Chris starting on the first of the desserts they would be making filled the room. Taking a deep breath, the blonde spoke up, her voice causing the duo to pause and look up towards her.

"Well, I wanna see how well Hibiki-san does," she began, her eyes looking towards the ceiling in thought. "It's her first time performing outside of the country, isn't it? And then there's another couple of bands that I wanna hear too."

Returning her focus to what Shirabe was helping her with, Chris allowed her thoughts to drift off, the younger blonde's enthusiasm causing her to think back to her previous conversation with the _Gungnir_ wielder and leading her to smile, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"What about you, Chris-senpai?" Kirika asked, half-hanging over the back of the couch as she spoke. "Isn't there anyone that you're wanting to see? Well, besides Hibiki-san."

Silence, the snow-haired girl trying to figure out some answer that she could give. Taking note of Chris' hesitation to reply, Shirabe spoke up, her eyes narrowed in a quasi-glare at her blonde friend.

"Kirika...why does it matter what Chris likes to listen to musically?" The twin-tailed girl asked, looking up from where she had finished cracking eggs into a large bowl. "Besides, even if there's not anything else she likes on the list of performers tonight, she's still gracious enough to have us all over here for this."

"B-but she asked me…"

"Kirika…" Shirabe said, voice trailing off as she shook her head in mock dismay. Moving towards the sink and washing her hands quickly, she continued, a disappointed look on her face. "Stop already. Let's just try to have fun with this tonight, okay?"

"No, it's fine," Chris finally said, shaking her head slightly. Letting out a small sigh, she continued, her eyes glancing towards the rack of CDs near the TV. "There really isn't anyone other than Hibiki on the list of scheduled bands that I want to see."

"No one? Not even that one band from Germany that I heard Miku wanted to see?" Kirika asked in response, drawing a small shake of Chris' head in response, the older girl starting to pour the batter that she had made into the cake pans she had gotten out previously.

"Nope, not even them, even though Miku says that they're the closest there'll be to what I normally listen to."

"Then who would you want to be there?"

Another pause, the snow-haired girl thinking briefly as she closed the over door behind her cake pans. Standing back up and moving aside as Shirabe started work on the second of the desserts they were making, she spoke up, her eyes looking towards the rack of CDs.

"Well...it'd be cool if someone like Bullet for my Valentine was there," Chris replied, her words causing the blonde's jaw to drop and even causing Shirabe to look up form what she was doing. "What?"

"Chris-senpai, your taste in music is weird. Everyone knows only edgy teens listen to Bullet for My Valentine." Kirika said, drawing a glare from the older girl before Chris replied, a cocky smile appearing on her face.

"Fuck off, my taste in music is great!"

"Kirika…" Shirabe sighed, shaking her head slightly as she spoke with exasperation. "You really don't know how to stay out of trouble, do you?" Returning her focus back to what she was trying to help with, she allowed herself to just zone out, the sound of her blonde best friend and their host debating the finer points of their respective favorite genres causing her to smile softly as a single thought went through her mind. ' _Kirika, you shouldn't be talking. You're one of those edgy teens yourself…'_

"Shirabe?" Kirika asked, shaking her shorter friend from her thoughts and causing her to look up. "Isn't there anyone you're wanting to see?"

"Kirika, you already know the answer to that," She said, her eyes returning back to the strawberries she was cutting. Before she could try to elaborate however, the doorbell rang, drawing Chris' attention to itself as the younger girls discussed Shirabe's music preferences. Shaking her head slightly, she walked over to the door, opening it to welcome the next of her friends to arrive.

-GX-

"It's almost time," Yumi muttered, blinking heavily as she took a sip from the mug of hot cocoa she held in hand. Letting out a yawn and rubbing her eyes, she turned, looking back at where the others were sitting before continuing. "When does she perform again?"

"Yumi, she's the second person to go," Kuriyo replied from right next to her friend, the taller girl barely managing to smile before letting out a yawn of her own. "How could you have forgotten about that?"

"Not all of us are that sharp when half-asleep, Kuriyo-san," Shiori said from where she stood before making her way over to the duo of friends with a small mug of cocoa of her own. Taking a seat next to them, she continued, small bags underneath her eyes as she spoke. "Besides...out of all of us here, we know that Yumi's the most forgetful to begin with. Maybe staying up all night like this was a bad idea after all."

"Says you! We haven't seen everyone in a while, so it's been good to catch up a bit, " Yumi shot back before letting out another small yawn, her words drawing a small chuckle of laughter from her two friends. Watching from across the room with a small smile, Chris shook her head slightly before taking a sip from her own mug of cocoa, eyes turning towards the flatscreen on the wall, the broadcast feed of the festival filling the monitor.

"Glad to see everyone having fun…" she said, eyes looking across the room to where Shirabe and Kirika were engaged in conversation with Yuri and Miku, the quartet of girls talking somewhat excitedly about the performers they were most excited to see. "I'm still wondering just what she has in mind though…"

"I'm sure that whatever it is…" Tsubasa replied, sitting next to her at the table and letting out a yawn before sipping from the hot glass of tea she had made for herself. "It should go over well. Ogawa-san said that she'd been working on it for a couple months now."

"Heh...I'm sure you're right," Chris responded, before the rest of the room fell silent, the two of them joining in as a countdown appeared on screen. Watching the numbers tick down one by one to the start of the festival, Chris felt a sense of nervous excitement fill her stomach, the lights at the stadium on screen going dim as the first artist took the stage. And as their song began, Chris found herself caught up in the excitement, one single thought entering her mind as the music filled the room.

' _Give it all you've got, Hibiki...We're all watching…'_

 _ **Backstage, Riverside Arena, London, England**_

"Ready to go?" Maria asked, hand resting lightly on her friend's shoulder as she stood backstage, microphone in hand. Looking back towards where the rosette stood Hibiki smiled softly, the silvery dress she wore rustling slightly as she spoke.

"Ready as I'm gonna be," she began, the sound of the band in front of her performing their final song filling the arena, even backstage. "Thanks for coming tonight, Maria. It would've been a lot to ask if I didn't have anyone familiar besides Ogawa here tonight."

"You make that sound like it would have been a bad thing," Ogawa said, speaking up as he returned from where he had been watching the performance on stage and drawing a light bit of laughter from both girls. Stepping in front of his charge and kneeling down to look her in the eye, he smiled slightly before continuing to speak. "Everything will be fine. You've practiced for this so much over the past couple months that you're more than ready to do this. Go out there and show them what you've got."

"Yeah...that's the plan," Hibiki replied, eyes turning toward the main stage again, a frown making its way onto her face again as she tried to focus herself for the start of her brief segment, the pair of songs she would be performing appearing in the front of her mind as she continued to get herself mentally prepared to perform. Before she could get too much further in however, a stagehand appeared backstage, his voice snapping her from her thoughts and drawing her attention.

"Two minutes! You're on in two!" he said, drawing a nod from the redhead as she turned towards the speech, the music of the previous band finally falling silent.

"Okay...here we go…" she whispered, turning back to her manager and to her guest with a shaky smile on her face. "Thanks again for being here. That goes for both of you."

"Hibiki, I'm your manager. Of course I'd be here," Ogawa said, a small smile of his own appearing on his face. Placing his hands on his charge's shoulders, he continued, a calming tone to his voice. "You've prepared for this, so now it's time to just go out there and do it. You'll do great, I'm sure of it." Releasing the redhead's shoulders and stepping back, he nodded, Hibiki nodding back in kind as she turned towards where Maria stood, a warm look on her face as she spoke.

"He's right. You've done a ton of work to get ready for this, so relax and let your preparation and practice take over like you always do, Hibi-san," Maria began, her cyan orbs meeting the amber of the younger girl. "I know I'm not Chris, or even Tsubasa. But I'm sure that their thoughts and mine are the same. Go out there and do your best, Hibiki."

"Right...I will," She replied, turning back towards the stage and walking her way towards the ramp leading to the stage. "Here we go…" she said, stepping beyond the veil separating the backstage area to the ramp leading to the stage and disappearing from their view, leaving Ogawa and Maria to themselves backstage.

"She seems on edge about something," Ogawa said, his eyes narrowed in confusion as he looked towards the _Airgetlam_ wielder who stood, a look of concern on her face from his words. "Any idea as to what?"

"No...none," Maria replied, shaking her head as she scanned the area for anyone who could be listening in. "But...she did seem tired earlier. I hope it's just nerves…"

"So do I, Maria. But we need to keep an eye out for anything. I'm not allowing a repeat of what happened nineteen months ago to happen tonight."

"Right." Grasping at where the relic pendant for _Airgetlam_ rested underneath her teal blouse, the rosette allowed her thoughts to drift before turning towards where the redhead had gone, a concerned frown appearing on her face as the countdown to Hibiki's performance began.

-GX-

"It's almost time," Yumi said, the group of friends' eyes locked onto the flatscreen as the final seconds ticked away between performers. Turning toward where Chris and Tsubasa sat at the dining table, she continued, a joyous smile gracing her face. "Come on, you two! Aren't you gonna watch with us?"

"We'll be right there, Yumi-san," Tsubasa replied, an amused look on her face. Turning back to look at where Chris was sitting at, she continued, a contemplative look on her face. "Well, time to see how Hibiki does."

"Yeah…" Chris trailed off, the last few seconds ticking off the clock before revealing the stage, a small band gathered towards the back while a single silhouette stood in the center, shrouded from view by the lights as the band began to play, an unfamiliar song coming through the speakers…

-GX-

(Insert song: "Ambiguous" by Garnidelia)

Hibiki stood silent in the center of the stage, a small circular platform beneath her as the music she had chosen began to play. Staring out at the crowd, many of which had started to cheer as the music started, she allowed a single thought to pass through her mind as she brought the microphone she held up to her mouth, the small platform she stood on rising into the early summer evening.

' _This is for you…'_

As the guitar swelled, she began to sing, the words coming freely from her mouth as the platform began to hover out over the crowd, the lights on the underside of the platform shining brightly and illuminating the _Gungnir_ wielder.

- _Once I cut the ties of fate, what lies ahead…_

 _I've been getting taller,_

 _in a world too small to fit, full of shoe sores…_

 _I walk the runway thinking I've hidden the pain,_

 _On the backside of a smile._

 _But it's always you,_

 _who sees right through me:_

 _I've never felt something like this before,_

 _and it takes me off balance.-_

The roar of the crowd brought a smile to her face as she continued, launching into the chorus as the lights under her changed color to a brilliant blue, the platform she found herself on floating around the arena just above the crowd as they continued to roar.

- _An indescribable heat, unfit for anyone but me,_

 _burns in my chest;_

 _As I pull in my thread of fate, what lies at the end,_

 _Is a new dawn coming upon us!-_

The lights in the stadium flashed once again, changing to a now red and yellow pattern to match the lights on the platform as it settled to a stop in the center of the arena floor. Standing atop it, Hibiki continued to sing, her eyes looking towards the camera directly.

- _Biting my finger, I've always been searching,_

 _For the secret to this shining world…_

 _But the answer's always been in my tea cup,_

 _Simply reflected there_

 _At a temperature that seems hot enough to burn,_

 _Too sweet, too bitter,_

 _So let's each drink down our own preferred flavor.-_

Leaping on the balls of her feet as the lights on the platform underneath her changed yet again to a brilliant white, Hibiki continued, her eyes not leaving the sight of the crowd underneath her as she turned around, the platform heading back to where it had started.

- _The indescribable heat that you made me realize that day,_

 _Makes its way down my cheeks;_

 _All our feelings are jumbled up, but what lies at the end,_

 _Is a new dawn coming upon us!-_

Falling silent as the guitar solo took place she strode upstage, the small ramp at the center of the stage which led to a small central platform coming alight in a brilliant silver glow. Making her way to the detached platform just as the guitar solo came to a stop she brought the mic back up to her mouth, the lights turning back into a brilliant blue.

- _I have nothing but the reckless feeling,_

 _That I want to protect this beautiful world…_

 _But the fact that you're beside me is my shining ray of hope!-_

A pause, the music falling quiet in the background as she stared into the camera. Bringing her free arm up towards the ceiling as if reaching out, she resumed, striding back up the ramp towards the main stage behind her as the lights changed to a fiery red in color, catching her in their glow.

- _An indescribable heat, unfit for anyone but me,_

 _Burns in my chest;_

 _As I pull in my thread of fate, what lies at the end…_

 _Can you see it?...is a future that continues on endlessly!_

 _That indescribable heat that you're still making me feel today,_

 _Makes its way down my cheeks;_

 _All our feelings are jumbled up, but what lies at the end,_

 _Is a new dawn coming upon us!-_

Making it back to the main stage and turning around, she smiled widely before reaching back out in front of herself. Her mind drifting towards a certain someone she knew would be watching back at home, she finished the song, a final line coming to mind.

- _Our hearts are surely one and the same!-_

(End Insert song: "Ambiguous")

Bringing her free hand back down from where she had held it, Hibiki smiled brightly as the crowd roared. Pausing for a moment to take in the sound of the crowd in front of her and to figure out what to say, she took a deep breath before speaking, her voice ringing clearly throughout the arena.

"Thank you," she began, her words drawing a cheer from those packed into the venue. Pausing to allow the crowd to settle slightly, she continued, the smile she wore not shrinking in the slightest. "How's everyone in the crowd doing tonight?"

Pausing to allow for them to respond with an affirmative cheer, she continued, a small amount of surprise entering her voice.

"Everyone excited for the festival?" At the crowd's roar, she nodded before speaking again, a small smile on her face. "Glad to hear it! It's such an honor to be here tonight, performing for you all."

"I've had a great time here in England while getting ready for this festival. All the people I've met here have been so helpful since I arrived. And all of you are so hyped for tonight. It's been so much more than I thought it'd be, so thank you!"

Another pause, the crowd roaring positively to her words as she waited for them to calm down. Bringing the microphone back up to her mouth, she continued, a single thought coming to to her words, the band behind her started to play, the intro chords to her next song filling the arena yet barely able to be heard.

"I have one more song for you tonight, so I wanna hear you get as loud as you can!"

Looking back over her shoulder to where the band members sat, she smiled before returning her attention to the concertgoers in front of her. Bringing the microphone back up once again and letting out a deep breath, she began to sing one more time.

(Insert song: "Grilletto" by Garnidelia)

- _I extend my hand, reaching out for you;_

 _My true love, which knows no imitation,_

 _Will pierce right through you.-_

Falling briefly silent she strode forwards down the central pathway, lights along the way alternating between a brilliant white and a soothing blue while the band behind her played, the sound of the band playing the high-paced piece behind her. Stopping halfway down the walkway she brought the mic back up, resuming the song as the band fell back into the background, the lights flashing in rhythm to the song as green lasers lights flashed behind her.

- _How far you can go is really up to you, so take off your limiters,_

 _Nobody knows… no one has a clue what's still to come._

 _When I look around me, it seems the second I trust someone, I face betrayal,_

 _There's nobody else; so stop relying on another._

 _Within each precious secret,_

 _Is something that beckons me towards it,_

 _But I'll never move forward like that._

 _I extend my hand, reaching out for you:_

 _Merely acting tough won't protect anyone, but this feeling is ultramarine._

 _I take aim and pull the trigger:_

 _My true love, which knows no imitation,_

 _Will pierce right through you.-_

-GX-

"Well, this is a surprise," Tsubasa whispered, a pair of mini-glowsticks in her hands. Turning toward the _Ichaival_ wielder she continued, her voice low enough that only Chris could hear it as the concert continued on screen, Hibiki's voice filling the room as she went through the chorus. "This almost sounds like something you'd sing, Chris."

"Wh-wh-what do you mean?" The snow-haired girl whispered back, a strawberry blush on her face as she continued to watch the screen. "I...I don't sound like this, do I?"

"No, but the words sound like it," Tsubasa said, her azure eyes not leaving the screen as the guitar interlude between verses began to play. Turning back towards the younger girl she continued, a small smirk on her face. "You didn't help write this song, did you?"

"N-n-no," Chris replied, the blush on her face growing deeper still in response before Tsubasa laughed softly as Hibiki resumed singing. "But she did say that she thought I'd like what she was performing when I talked to her earlier…"

"Oh?" The older girl asked, her eyes looking back towards Chris who was silently staring at the screen as her girlfriend dove into the second verse. Shrugging lightly, Tsubasa did the same, a small smile rising onto her face as she allowed herself to fall into the rhythm of the piece.

-GX-

- _As we become adults, we forget something important;_

 _I lose my way and can't even trust myself._

 _All I can hear is a dissonant noise, like I'm about to be swallowed up,_

 _But you must never forget that you're not alone!_

 _When we get lost, we wound deeply. But before I knew,_

 _I was touching the love you gave me,_

 _Becoming stronger and stronger._

 _I extend my hand, reaching out to take hold of freedom,_

 _I'm strangely fearless and this feeling is so pure._

 _I take aim and pull the trigger:_

 _My true love, which knows no imitation,_

 _Will pierce right through you.-_

-GX-

' _How much longer is this going to go on?_ ' Elfnein thought to herself. Peeking around the corner of the building she had hidden herself behind and not detecting any sign of her pursuer, she allowed herself to relax slightly, the toll of the past twelve hours starting to catch up. ' _I knew that she was persistent….but to have been chasing for this long and show no sign of tiring….Carol really designed them well…_ '

Looking down to check the condition of the box she held, she spoke up softly, her glance reminding her of why she had left.

"I need to warn them about what's coming. Maybe if Leiur tries to attack again, I can use that to get their attention?" A pause, the young woman stepping out from her hiding spot and onto the streets of the district. "But warning them alone won't be enough, will it? No; they're going to need more than that. If they didn't, I wouldn't have grabbed this from where Carol had been storing it."

Feeling comfortable that her pursuer was nowhere nearby, she stepped out from the alleyway and onto the bustling early morning sidewalk. ' _I don't see her anywhere, but I can't help but feel like she's not far behind me. It's almost like she's...toying with me. But why? That goes totally against everything Carol usually does!'_

As she was losing herself in her thoughts, the sound of excited screams nearby seized her attention. Looking up and turning towards where the sound was coming from, Elfnein felt herself freeze briefly, only for the footage playing on a monitor above a nearby store to capture her attention along with the crowd of people cheering in front of it.

' _I'm being too paranoid...but after how Leiur has chased me for all this time, is that even possible?'_

Shaking her head slightly she looked at the video monitor once again, a fast-paced electronic rhythm echoing from the speakers around the screen as she took in the sight of the person performing. ' _What is this?'_ She thought, listening to the unfamiliar rhythm as the singer fell silent, the instrumental section sounding loudly through the early summer morning. ' _It's so...catchy…'_

Feeling herself bouncing on her toes slightly in time with the beat, Elfnein shook her head slightly before looking around the area, eyes searching for any sign of her pursuer. ' _I can't stay here. If she attacked now, then so many would get caught in Leiur's attack that don't need to be. I wouldn't be any better than her if I allowed that to happen…'_ Sighing quietly and taking one last quick look around the area, she moved on, a brisk pace consuming her as she left the area.

"So boring…" Leiur said, looking down on where her target had been from her perch on a nearby rooftop. "I wish that miss Elfnein would provide me with SOME excitement." Turning to look toward the nearby bridge and taking note of a small park nearby, a devious smirk appeared on her face as a plan pieced itself together. "Maybe I can MAKE some excitement for myself after all…"

-GX-

- _With the one life we have,_

 _Crying, laughing, so busy…_

 _Bargaining with the only numbers we know,_

 _Adding, subtracting, so busy…_

 _More...More…_

 _Hey, go ahead and draw the next card…_

 _I wonder who will win?-_

The sound of the electric guitars echoed slightly behind her as Hibiki fell quiet before bringing the mic back up and resuming.

- _This empty reality feels about to break:_

 _There's no such thing as an eternity,_

 _So we'll draw our own trajectory._

 _I extend my hand, reaching out for you:_

 _Merely acting tough won't protect anyone, but this feeling is ultramarine._

 _I take aim and pull the trigger:_

 _My true love, which knows no imitation,_

 _Will pierce right through you.-_

(End Insert song: "Grilletto")

-GX-

"Thank you, everyone!" Hibiki's voice echoed over the speakers as the arena lighting faded to dark in order to allow for the next artists to enter. Watching the monitor on the wall and the feed it showed, the group of friends sat in quiet amazement, their minds reflecting on the performance they had just witnessed. Smiling softly as she turned towards the snow-haired girl sitting across from her at the table, Tsubasa spoke up, drawing Chris' attention to herself.

"Looks like someone likes what they heard," Tsubasa said, amusement written across her face as Chris could only nod in reply, eyes still wide as a single hand had risen to her chest. "Chris? You okay?"

"Y-yeah," Chris replied, face a crimson red in a mix of happiness and embarrassment. Turning back towards the screen where the next band to perform was being revealed, she continued, a wide smile appearing on her face. "I-It's not like I'm happy or anything! Even if that was about me..."

"Ooh, do you two have a song now?" Yumi asked, breaking into the conversation and causing their host for the evening to blush even brighter. "It's TOTALLY like something out of a romance anime! One of the two people decides to write a song for the other, and then sings it on live TV!"

"Yumi, will you shut up? The next group is about to start!" Shiori interjected, her words causing the excited girl to glare at her mockingly before she returned her attention to the screen. Turning towards where Chris and Tsubasa sat, the blonde walked over to join them before taking the third chair at the table. "She hasn't changed a bit since we graduated. And to think, she's one of the more popular waitresses at that maid cafe she works at, too."

Quiet laughter passed between them, the trio of friends smiling softly before Chris stood up, face a brilliant red. Taking a look at the band that was about to perform on stage, she sighed before Shiori continued, a wisened smile on her face.

"Relax, Chris. I'm sure that Yumi was joking around. Come on, let's relax and get back to the concert, okay?"

A pause, the snow-haired girl mulling over Shiori's request.

"Okay."

-GX-

"That was amazing, Hibiki," Maria said with a smile, as they walked quickly from backstage towards where the car back to the hotel was waiting. "The whole arena felt like it was shaking, especially that second song."

"Thanks, Maria," The redhead replied, taking a large gulp from her water bottle before continuing. "I'm just glad they liked what they heard. I don't think I've been that nervous in a while."

"Not even when you pulled that stunt at Lydian a year ago? Last I checked, Ogawa-san said that you had to convince the head of the whole label that it was going to be a good thing for sales."

"That was different though," Hibiki shot back, the flustered look on her face causing her companion to laugh quietly as they rounded the corner towards where their transport waited. "I'm through hiding myself from people, you know that."

"I do, and we all know you were," the rosette said, voice falling silent as she listened to the sound of the music being played above them. Making their way to where they had been told to meet their vehicle in relative silence, Hibiki spoke up, her eyes staring toward the rafters above the duo as the summer night air came in from the outside.

"I can't wait to get home," She said, voice echoing around the area. Turning to look at the _Gungnir_ wielder, Maria responded, her own smile widening slightly.

"Oh?" She asked, the redness on her friend's face being a giveaway for Hibiki's reasoning. "Can't wait to see Chris, huh?" Before the redhead could respond, a loud roar filled their ears as the ground beneath them shook, almost bringing the duo to their knees.

"What was that?" Maria whispered, her eyes scanning for any sign of what happened.

"I don't know, but I'm not going to stand here and wait to find out," Hibiki responded, eyes taking note of the massive plume of smoke that was rising a short distance away from them along with the screams of festival attendees filling the summer night's sky. Reaching up underneath the orange and white blouse she had changed into and bringing the chain of her relic pendant into full view, she took off running towards the commotion before the light of another explosion filled the sky, Maria right behind her.

-GX-

"So insolent, all of them," Carol whispered as she stood atop the entrance to the arena, eyes staring down at the group of partygoers as they proceeded to listen to the song performed on stage. "They're all so happy, enjoying their little festival. Wasting away their lives...and they aren't the only ones. All of them are so blind to how the world actually works."

Raising a gloved hand and pointing it towards the group of partiers in the square below her, she continued to speak, even as a circle of light appeared in front of her hand.

"Well...it's time that I give them a little bit of a wake up call."

Smirking widely as the circle in front of her turned a blazing red, she whispered to herself quietly, an arcane symbol appearing at the center. Seconds later a massive ball of flame appeared in front of her, its heat causing the part of the entrance she stood atop to start to melt beneath her feet. Moving to throw the ball of flame, she spoke one final time, a singular phrase coming from her mouth as she spoke.

"All of these eyesores can just disappear!"

A single flick of her wrist was all it took. As the sphere of flame shot forward towards the crowd, it took all Carol had to not want to burst out in laughter as it made contact with the square and detonated. The resulting smoke cloud did little to hide the damage, small chunks of brick and mortar raining down from above alongside the cries of the few remaining partiers in the square. Nodding to the being that stood beside her as she leapt forth, Carol turned her attention towards the traffic crossing throughout the square, a sadistic grin emerging on her face.

"So much disbelief I see from all of you...well then, if you don't believe what you're seeing, I'll be MORE than happy to oblige you!"

Raising both arms in separate directions, she concentrated as a pair of circles of light appeared in front of her. Seconds later she fired, the golden circle on her right shining brightly as a veritable cyclone of golden light sprang forward, slamming into the building across from the arena and sending steel and glass raining down onto the horrified onlookers below.

Not waiting for the screams of the damned to reach her ears, Carol continued her assault, the light on her left crackling with power as it shone a dazzling green before another cyclone lashed forward, cutting through the pavement while tossing cars and bodies every which way, vehicles crashing into buildings before exploding into flames.

"Can you hear me, world? It's time that I made you PAY for your ignorance!" she cried out, the panicked screams of those who were fleeing the area acting as music to her ears. Bringing her arm back up she laughed as a number of smaller crimson rings of light spawned around her, a veritable rain of fireballs coming forth before falling in all directions, exploding on first contact and sending more screams and smoke into the air.

"Mistress Carol," A voice from beside her spoke up, causing the young woman to look away from the handiwork while she sent another emerald tornado into the scene.

"What is it, Garie?" She asked, her grin only growing as the sound of a large explosion reached her. Turning slightly to witness the scene of a tanker truck crashing back onto the ground from where it had impacted an office building, she grinned viciously.

"Looks like you'll be having company soon. A couple of those little bitches you had been monitoring since the Frontier incident are heading your way. Want me to take care of them?"

Carol's grin grew wider. Shaking her head as yet another cyclone of golden light ripped into the complex across from her, she finally spoke up, the demonic expression on her face only glowing more in the light of the flames.

"No. Let them come...Now might be as good a time as any to begin. You know what you need to do, so get to it, Garie."

"Yes, my mistress. I'll be MORE than happy to do so," her companion replied before leaping away, her dress fluttering lightly in the heat and smoke. Turning back towards the destroyed square in front of her Carol fired off another group of fireballs into the area, explosions erupting on contact while spraying asphalt and mortar into the air. Smirking viciously as a fresh round of screams rose into the sky, Carol's eyes glinted wildly in the blazing night as she processed the news she had received.

"It's about time that they decided to show up. Now...let's see just how well they can stand up against me."

-GX-

"Hibiki, wait a second, will you?" Maria shouted, her voice barely able to be heard over the sound of the festival attendees who were fleeing the area running past them. Coming to a halt as the crowd of fleeing partygoers continued to flood by her, the redhead stood, eyes staring ahead of her as the sound of another large explosion filled their ears. "Am I the only one who has a bad feeling about this?"

"No," The redhead whispered back, her voice barely able to be heard over the sounds of the fleeing crowd. "You're not. Anything from Ogawa-san or HQ?"

"Nothing yet," The older girl noted, a look of concern on her face. "Guess we're on our own to handle this then?"

"Looks like it. We'll just have to play it by ear," The redhead replied as they rounded the last corner towards their destination. Taking in the sight of the massive amount of smoke billowing into the sky, both girls grabbed their relic pendants, holding them tightly before they began to sing.

- _Balwisyall Nescell Gungnir Tron-_

 _-Seilien Coffin Airgetlám Tron-_

Quickly a pair of spheres of light surrounded the duo before disappearing, revealing both girls in their Symphogear armor to the summer night. Turning to the older girl, Hibiki spoke up, voice nearly drowned out by the sound of another explosion.

"Let's go."

-GX-

Smoke rising all around them greeted the duo as they entered the square directly outside the arena, fires blazing out of control all across its expanse. Taking in the sight a crater in the center of the square where she knew there had been a viewing party taking place, Maria spoke up, her voice quiet yet biting over the sound of the sizzling flames.

"Who...could have done something like this?" Maria asked, the sight of the destroyed office buildings across from the arena garnering her attention, piles of debris littering the areas in front of the shattered husks. Taking note of the broken body of what looked to have been a gas tanker leaning against the side of a nearby skyscraper, she felt anger simmer within her as she scanned the area for any survivors.

"I...don't know…" Hibiki whispered as she stood by the edge of the crater in the center of the square, the shattered and charred remains of the viewing screen that had been showing the concert resting alongside scattered brick and mortar. Turning to look around the area, the sight of broken buildings and shattered asphalt greeted her alongside the charred and shattered remains of numerous partygoers, all of them killed with what had looked to be fearful looks on their faces. ' _It's...just like my nightmares...'_ She thought, the images of the ruined city springing forth and implanting themselves firmly in her mind, causing her to tense up.

"I just contacted Ogawa-san. He said that they're evacuating the arena now via the opposite entrance," Maria said as she moved over to join the _Gungnir_ wielder, the sound of her voice causing Hibiki to jump slightly in surprise. Taking note of her friend's startled reaction she prepared to continue, only for the sound of an unfamiliar voice to reach both girls' ears.

"I've been expecting someone to to show up…" The feminine voice said, her voice filling the area. As Hibiki and Maria tensed up, searching the area to see where the voice was coming from it continued, an amusement to itself. "But I didn't expect that I'd end up seeing _you_ of all people."

' _What does she…_ ' Maria thought, her eyes searching area fruitlessly for the source of the voice amongst the scattered debris, damaged vehicles, and destroyed buildings. Next to her, Hibiki froze, the familiar sounding voice bringing the memory of her nightmare back to the front of her mind.

"So tell me," The voice continued, no longer echoing from around the area. "Have you been enjoying my handiwork?"

"What are you-"

"I wasn't asking you. I was asking your friend there."

Silence, Hibiki's eyes closed tightly as she grit her teeth, shoulders shaking in visible frustration. Turning towards where the redhead stood, Maria spoke up, a concerned look on her face.

"Hibiki? What is she-"

"Not like it matters much," The voice interrupted, the distinctly feminine tone sounding like it was coming from directly behind them. "It's not like she'll be able to stop what's coming, for all the strength she possesses."

Drawing her armed gear from its storage in her left arm gauntlet, Maria spun around, hoping to find whoever was speaking only to find nothing.

"So tell me. Does it make you angry to know that you're powerless to stop me?"

"Shut up…" Hibiki whispered, an angry tone coming to her as her shoulders quaked with fury. Hands clenched tightly into fists at her side, the images of her nightmares continued to bear down on her, even as the older girl reacted.

Spinning around again, Maria's dagger changed form into a whip-like sword as she slashed outward, her blade finding nothing but a disabled car and cutting it in half. As if responding to the older girl's reaction, the voice returned, its amusement growing deeper.

"Does it hurt to see this and know that it will only get worse?"

"Shut up…"

"To know that everyone and everything that you've ever cared about will BURN?"

"Show yourself already!" Maria yelled out, her whip-like blade flashing out again, hitting nothing but air and causing her to frown in frustration. Turning back to where the redhead stood, she continued, a concerned look in her eyes. "Hibiki, whatever she's talking about, don't listen to her!"

"And how does it feel to know that there's nothing you can do to stop me from killing them all?"

Appearing behind Maria, their opponent grinned viciously, a sphere of Golden light encircling her hand. Throwing her hand forward, a golden cyclone lashed out towards its intended target, winds cutting through the heated pavement and darting toward its target with reckless abandon. Turning around toward the onrushing cyclone Maria braced herself only to be pulled out of the way, the devastating spell passing through where she had been standing only to slam into the side of an already damaged building, the impact sending concrete flying everywhere as what was left of the structure gave way.

"That was close…" Maria said, turning to look at where her attacker stood. Beside her Hibiki stood, having pulled the rosette out of the way just in time to avoid the attack, her eyes focused directly on where the cloaked figure stood. "Hibiki. What is she talking about?"

Instead of answering her friend's question, Hibiki stayed silent, even as the heated summer wind blew their assailant's hood backward, revealing her identity to them. Glaring at the person standing just across from where they had stood, she spoke up, a controlled anger to her voice.

"I won't let you do it," she began, her gaze locked onto the blonde woman standing across from her. "I won't let you touch them…"

 **"Oh? What makes you think you can stop me? You don't have the power to protect anyone else, let alone yourself!" The blonde woman asked, spheres of light appearing and hovering around her at her will.**

 **Eyes narrowing slightly, Hibiki tapped both gauntlets, orange lightning crackling from and around them as she slid into a loose stance, left arm coming in a cross guard while her right crossed underneath it, palm facing the asphalt as she spoke in response.**

 **"We'll see about that. Bring it!"**

 **End Chapter 1**

 **Author's postscript: Sorry for the lengthier delay on this, but GX has finally begun. I would say more about what I have planned, but for now I'll just say that expect things to jump the ship fairly quickly from here. See you next time.-ZBD15  
**


	2. Glowing Embers

**Song of the Heart: Redux-GX Arc-**

Author's Notes: Welcome back to GX arc, everyone. This is going to be a wild ride, as both Hibiki and Maria prepare to face off with Carol directly. To add to that, you've got a pair of autoscorers on the loose, as Garie and Leiur are pursuing their own objectives. Strap in; this ride is gonna be a wild one.

I'd like to once more thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Ada1229, for allowing me to adopt her story and idea and make it into my own from there. Also, I'd like to thank both solopy567 and StealthyTanub for being beta readers on this chapter, as well as being amazing help sorting through ideas when needed. Let's go.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX, Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ, or Senki Zesshou Symphogear XD Unlimited. It is owned by those who own it. I also do not own any music used as insert songs here; they are owned by the respective songwriters and artists.**

 **Please note** **:** **the record label used in this fic, Galactic Music Japan, is** _ **NOT**_ **a real music label as far as I know, but is a parody made solely for the purposes of this story. The same goes for JAM TV; as far as I know, it's not a real music channel on TV, again a parody made up for the purposes of this story. This also applies to the EUROBEATS Festival as well; I don't believe that it's a real festival, but I could be wrong.**

 **Also, no music quoted within the story belongs to me. The rights to any and all pieces used belong to their artists and record labels. I did buy a copy of the single CDs that the songs are from though, so thank iTunes for most of that.**

 **Acknowledgements: Once more, I would like to thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Ada1229, for her support in adopting this idea and making it my own. I would also like to thank a couple of friends of mine outside of (they know who they are) for acting as sounding boards when I have ideas for this that may seem a bit on the wild side.**

' _Insert thought here_ '=character thoughts

 _Flashback Is in Italics with nothing around it_

 _-Song lyrics are shown in italics between dashes-_

 **GX Chapter 2: Glowing Embers**

 _ **Operations Center, S.O.N.G. Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan**_

"Get me a status report on the evacuation!" Genjurou called out, the sound of his voice echoing throughout the room over the sound of the alarms. Glancing up toward the screen at the head of the room, a satellite video feed filling the monitor, he continued, eyes narrowed in frustration as what he was seeing. "And get me in contact with Maria and Hibiki!"

"On it, sir," A technician said, her voice echoing through the room as the alarms fell silent and the lights dimmed. Taking his seat at the head of the room, he continued, eyes drifting to his right as he spoke.

"Tomosato, what do we have regarding the update on the evacuation of anyone in the area?"

"Ogawa's reporting that the evacuation is proceeding at relatively close to normal pacing, sir."

"Good." Looking up at the video feed as the pair of Hibiki and Maria entered the area, he couldn't help but feel a frown come onto his face as he crossed his arms, an anxious expression writing itself onto his features. ' _Is this just like what happened yesterday, with that blip in Yokohama?'_ He thought, eyes taking in the scene of destruction on screen. Turning toward where the other of his most trusted assistants sat, he spoke up again, his voice no less steady than it ever was.

"Fujitaka, did we ever get the data regarding what happened last night at Yokohama back? Do we have that wavelength ID'ed?"

"No, not yet," The brunette replied his eyes not leaving the monitor at his station as he monitored the reports coming in from overseas. "It looks like Analytics is working on it, but it's still like nothing they've ever seen before." At his subordinate's words Genjurou's frown only deepened, that feeling he'd had the night before making its return full force.

' _So we still have no idea at all what that was…_ ' He thought as he tried to contemplate what their best move would be. Making a decision quickly, he spoke up, a plan of action quickly proceeding to form in mind.

"Tomosato, have intelligence send a team to Yokohama and check the scene of where that signal last night came from. I want a detailed report so that we can compare it to anything that might happen. After that, get a hold of the other wielders and make sure that they're ready in case something comes up."

"On it," The bluenette replied, turning her focus back to her own monitor as Genjurou continued to watch the main screen at the head of the room. Crossing his hands into a bridge and resting his head on top of them, he continued to ponder, even as the footage on screen showed the wielders searching for something before a figure appeared behind them.

"Get Hibiki and Maria on the line, NOW!" He shouted, voice rising as Hibiki pulled Maria out of the way of their assailant's attack before witnessing the cyclone of light cause an already damaged building to crumble in on itself. At his command, a small box appeared on his monitor, the words audio only appearing inside of it as he prepared to speak up.

"Both of you listen to me VERY carefully. Whoever she is that you're up against, if things start to look bad I want you to withdraw as soon as possible, understood?"

Silence was the only reply he received before Maria's voice came through the audio feed, the sound of her voice filtering through the speakers alongside the telltale sound of crackling flames nearby.

"Understood, taichou. We'll do what we can."

At that, the audio feed cut off, leaving the command crew of headquarters to wonder just what they were up against, even as the action in the ruined square began to pick up again. Eyes narrowed in anxiety and frustration, Genjurou felt that sinking feeling return in force, even as a single thought ran through his mind.

' _Whoever that is...the situation is only getting more and more dangerous. Be careful, you two.'_

 _ **Outside Riverside Arena, London, England**_

"You have plenty of confidence," Carol shouted out, even as the rings around her glowed a dazzling crimson. Frowning as she stared at the pair of Symphogear wielders across from her, she continued, one arm raising up to point towards the pair. "But confidence alone won't be enough to defeat me. I won't let the two of you stop me from obtaining what I'm after, so let's get started."

At her command the spheres shot forward, each of them igniting in a flash of heat as they raced toward the pair of wielders. ' _Fast…'_ Maria thought, rolling to the side to avoid the first one as it exploded where she had stood, the already stressed asphalt giving way and exploding upward, shards of the dark surface raining down throughout the area. Bringing up her armed gear in an attempt to deflect a second sphere as it closed on her from above she slashed at it, the tip of her weapon impacting the orb and deflecting it slightly before it detonated, the concussive force throwing her off her feet and back into the middle of the street with a cry.

"Maria!" Hibiki called out, leaping away from another sphere as it slammed into the building behind her, shattering the already weakened structure and bringing the building down on top of itself. As a fresh cloud of concrete dust filled the air, Hibiki looked toward her friend as she back to her feet after the blast. Before she could say anything to her, a flash of movement out of the corner of her eye sent her body into overdrive as she leapt into the air before another orb made contact with the ruined plaza beneath her.

"I'm fine…" Maria replied, climbing back to her feet as another fireball flew towards her. Thinking quickly she reacted, pulling a trio of dagger like objects from her left arm's gauntlet and tossing them in front of her, a barrier of silver light appearing just as the sphere of heat smashed into it, exploding and filling the air around her with smoke.

Firing her gauntlets up in midair, Hibiki darted towards their opponent, the engines on the armor roaring to life and pushing her forward. Rolling to avoid another sphere of light as it flashed past her before exploding, she landed just in front of her assailant, a young woman who looked to be the same age as Maria.

"You're mine," she said, delivering a punch that was effortlessly deflected by her opponent before she leapt away, violet cloak fluttering in the superheated air. Not responding to Hibiki's words, a smirk appeared on Carol's face as she landed atop a pile of rubble, a small orb of light appearing around her arm.

"Is that all you've got?" She said, a slightly confident tone to her voice. Before Hibiki could respond she thrust her arm forward, the ring of light she had developed shining a brilliant emerald green. A moment later an emerald tornado ripped forth, winds slicing through asphalt and rubble as they sped toward where Hibiki had landed.

' _Shit….'_ she thought, bringing her arms up in a crossing guard in front of her face as the winds caught her, pushing her backward effortlessly and throwing her off her feet. Crying in pain as the winds threatened to cut away at her, Hibiki tried to stand her ground, armored boots digging into the concrete and carving out a trench underneath her as she was effortlessly pushed back. ' _So much power…'_ she thought as her back made impact with the arena's outer wall, the air in her lungs sucked out of her by the winds as she collapsed to the ground.

"Hibiki!" Maria shouted out, the smoke from the fireball finally clearing away and giving her a full field of vision. Taking note as the emerald winds died down, she felt her eyes narrow in anger as she ran to where Hibiki was recovering. Drawing a chain of daggers from her armed gear, she sent them flying at their opponent, the blades scattering and forcing her on the defensive.

"I'm…fine…" Hibiki gasped out, pushing herself up as she tried to regain the breath she had just lost. Taking a look at where Carol was almost effortlessly dodging Maria's daggers, she continued, eyes narrowed even as she reached up to wipe away a trail of blood from a cut that had been opened on her cheek. "I couldn't even touch her. The one time I got in close, she just swatted me away like I was nothing."

"Then we'll just have to find a way, won't we?" Maria replied, withdrawing another dagger from _Airgetlam_ 's storage and converting it into a longer blade. Frowning as the last of her previous group of daggers was obliterated by a smaller fireball, she continued as Carol turned her attention to the two of them. "We can't allow her to get any further. If she gets past us, then all the attendees left in the stadium could be at risk."

"Right…" Hibiki said, even as Carol prepared another attack, an azure ring appearing behind her. Before they could come up with a plan of attack, the blonde pointed toward them as the ring glowed brightly. A torrent of water sprang toward them, causing their eyes to widen as they sprang away before the pressurized blast met the side of the arena, the screech of tempered steel giving way filling the air.

"I will get to the truth I'm after. And from what I'm seeing from the both of you, you're not good enough to stand in my way," Carol said, voice only slightly muffled as the torrent died down, a massive gash torn into the side of the arena by her assault. "I expected more than this from you."

"We're just getting started," Hibiki said as she went on the attack, springing toward her and coming to a stop right before throwing a jab which was dodged to the side. ' _Got you…'_ she thought as she brought her leg up in a kick that Carol ducked under, only to snap back out with a side kick, something that didn't go unnoticed.

"A feint? How...quaint," Carol remarked, her cloak fluttering to reveal her mature figure to the summer air as she caught the kick with her bare hand. Smirking at the look of surprise on Hibiki's face she stepped inside of her reach and moved to counter, releasing the _Gungnir_ wielder's leg from her grasp and causing her to stumble as a red glow encased her arm. "Let me tell you a little bit of what I've learned about you in just these past few minutes of fighting."

"You're nothing. You can't protect anyone as you are now. I think I'll have my fun killing that snow-haired girl you seem to hold so close to your heart. I'll torture her a little bit at a time, slowly breaking her to my will before I shatter her like glass. I think that'd be so much FUN, don't you?"

"I won't let you touch her…" Hibiki said, voice low, her rage rising from deep within her as she tried to contort her body around. Spinning on her heel she rose upwards in an uppercut motion, Carol stepping backwards to dodge only for Hibiki's other hand to come in lower, making contact with the young woman's stomach area as electricity crackled, Carol stepping backward slightly.

"Not bad...but you're still too weak," She said in reply, eyes cold as she went back on the attack, the red glow around her fist burning brightly. Moving quickly she returned the favor, striking home in Hibiki's stomach and leaving her gasping for air. Carol then pressed the attack, a flurry of alchemically enhanced punches leaving Hibiki reeling before she sent her away with a burst of the same cutting wind from before.

Carol remained silent as her eyes stared at the fallen _Gungnir_ wielder before a flash in the corner of her eye gathered her attention. Stepping backwards, she avoided Maria's attack, the _Airgetlam_ wielder's whip-sword slashing through the debris pile before returning back to where the older of the two wielders stood waiting.

"Well...a sneak attack? Clever...too bad for you I saw it."

' _We'll see who's laughing when we're done,'_ Maria thought, converting her armed gear back into a dagger state as Carol brought her left arm up again, a golden ring of light surrounding it. Not waiting for her to open fire Maria dashed forward, ducking to the right as another golden cyclone ripped past her, brick and asphalt kicking up into the air as it carved a wide gash into the already-damaged street.

Charging in close to Carol, Maria lashed out, the armed gear she held in her hand rising upwards and forcing her to step backwards. Pressing the advantage, the rosette spun, her left arm snapping forward in a quick jab toward the young woman.

"You're being creative this time," Carol noted, cold blue eyes never leaving her opponent's as she tilted her head to the side while Maria's armored fist passed by. Leaping backwards, she created more space as she charged up her next attack, eyes staring unblinkingly at Maria. Open palm flashing forward as another group of crimson rings appeared around her, Carol laughed slightly as another group of fireballs shot forth towards Maria, forcing her to dance to avoid the flames as they impacted the area around her. "But even then, you're still too weak."

"We're not as weak as you think," Maria said, voice piercing through the sound of the burning flames around her as she steadied her arm, holding it in Carol's direction. Glancing back over her shoulder toward where Hibiki had climbed back to her feet, she nodded slightly before the gauntlet on her arm glowed brightly. "Let's see how you handle this!"

The smoke from the burning ground around her vanished as a silver wave of light raced towards the blonde, eyes widening slightly at the sudden change in plans as she teleported away, the blast impacting the building she had been standing on and causing it to evaporate, concrete and steel falling to pieces from the force of the phonic gain. Panting slightly as the blast raced past the shattered building, Maria brought her arm back down to her side, the silver gauntlet of _Airgetlam_ steaming from the phonic gain exerted. ' _Did that...get her?'_ she thought, eyes scanning the destruction around her, the flames throughout the area only rising higher as Hibiki moved to join her, the duo scanning the area before the now-familiar voice of their attacker returned.

"I'm disappointed. I expected more from the two of you," Carol said as she made herself known, the cloak she had worn having been discarded in the attack. Standing as tall as Maria herself she stared at the duo with cold blue eyes, the red chinese dress she wore clinging to her form tightly as she stood atop the remains of the building Maria's attack had impacted. Teleporting herself back down to street level she continued, a cold frown on her face as a brilliant ring of crimson light appeared above her head.

"I'll show it to you then...the power my alchemy possesses."

Seconds later she moved, swinging her arm downwards towards Maria and Hibiki. Reacting to the unspoken command the crimson ring glowed, a larger sphere of flame appearing above her before racing toward the duo.

' _Gotta move…'_ Hibiki thought, nodding toward her friend as the duo leapt away before the orb hit the damaged mortar and pavement. Detonating on impact, the night air became shrouded in smoke as the ground shook from the impact, pieces of shattered asphalt and brick raining all around the area as Carol looked on.

"I hope you're willing to fight for real now," She saida, turning towards where both Hibiki and Maria stood atop a pile of debris. Taking a moment to look at the she continued, the flickering flames around her reflecting in her eyes. "Because if you're not, then you might as well just die."

Eyes narrowed at Carol in defiance, Hibiki sprang towards her, Maria following close behind. Closing the distance between them, she lashed out, a kick sweeping in low towards Carol's feet and making her leap upwards. Allowing the redhead's leg to pss underneath her, Carol counterattacked, her hand surrounded by a ruby glow catching Hibiki in the head and knocking her to the side. Looking to press her advantage she tried to continue only to be forced to move, Maria's foot dropping in from above and making her leap to the side before Maria moved to follow, pressuring Carol with a series of fists and kicks aimed her way.

"So you're finally taking this fight seriously," Carol said, tilting her head to the side and ducking under one of Maria's punches. Twisting slightly and grabbing hold of Maria's leg as she tried to kick her away, Carol smirked, the arm that hadn't grabbed her opponent glowing brilliantly before blasting her away, a radiant cyclone of wind tossing Maria away and into a damaged storefront with ease.

"Is that all you've got?" Carol asked before being forced back on the defensive as Hibiki took Maria's place, a trio of punches thrown quickly her way and forcing her to dance out of the way. "You're just in my way. I don't even have to try at this rate," she said, a cruel tone in her voice as she slid under a roundhouse kick from the _Gungnir_ wielder. Not allowing Carol to launch another counter attack, Hibiki pressed forward, ducking underneath Carol's counter punches before rising quickly, a fast punch aimed at her head forcing her to duck backwards...and into the path of another punch that had followed behind it.

Eyes widening slightly, Carol twisted around, narrowly avoiding the blow before lashing out with a backhand, forcing Hibiki to break off the attack for a moment. Taking advantage of the newly earned distance Carol went on the offensive, quickly charging a ring of light around her right hand. Flinging her arm out, an emerald cyclone burst forth from the emblem, collecting Hibiki within as she brought her arms up to protect herself, sending her flying.

But before Carol could move to try to finish the battle Maria struck back, resuming her offensive after climbing free from the storefront she had been flung into prior and forcing Carol to defend once more. ' _These two are starting to annoy me…'_ she thought, ducking underneath an overhead swipe of Maria's dagger and lashing out with an alchemy-charged punch of her own, a smile coming onto her face as she made contact. Taking advantage as Maria doubled over, Carol continued her offensive, a series of punches making contact with the singer's stomach before she sent her away with another alchemic cyclone.

"It's over," Carol called out, her voice audible over the crackling sound of the flames around them. "Neither of you are worth my time to deal with." Clenching her fist slightly before opening it, a grin appeared on her face as she looked over what she was holding.

"Do you really think that you understand what the world truly is? I wonder if taking away those you love the most will help you figure that out," Carol said, a thoughtful look on her face as Hibiki froze in place, body visibly quaking in rage. "Maybe I'll start with your mother, even. She supported you SO much, even through those tough times of yours, didn't she? I wonder...how you would react if she were to suddenly disappear from existence."

A pause, the sound of crackling flames all that could be heard.

"Stay away from her…" Hibiki whispered, voice barely reaching Carol's ears. "Stay the hell away from both my mom and from Chris. If you don't…"

"And what makes you believe you can stop me?" Carol shot back, the crystalline cubes she held in hand reflecting the glow of the destruction around her. "You're nothing. For all the strength you have, you still don't understand the truth of this world."

Bringing her hand up to eye level, Carol frowned, her voice going stone cold.

"Perhaps this will make that obvious to you."

Cocking her arm back, Carol threw what she was holding at the duo, the crystalline gems glowing a ruby red as they hit the stressed and scorched pavement. Seconds later a number of crimson circles appeared, filling the ground where the crystals had hit and setting both wielders on high alert.

"Arise now, oh beasts made from power made form. Strengthened by fire, tempered by water, resolute as rock, and swift as the wind…" Carol chanted, the circles on the ground glowing brightly as **they** began to appear, familiar forms becoming more and more visible within the light created.

"What the...didn't Chris…" Maria whispered out as she slid into a defensive stance. Beside her, Hibiki did the same, Eyes scanning the sight in front of her with caution.

"Yeah…so what are they doing here?"

They looked like something ripped out of their worst nightmares. Humanoid in form they stood as if waiting for orders, ugly orange mixed with a sickly pale in some cases. A brilliant white glow engulfed their spindly arms as they stood, the green screen-like feature replacing a face glowing brightly in the smoke-filled night.

Others were less distinctive. Low to the ground, their forest green bodies huddled together at the feet of the taller ones. Violet strikes ran down their backs, their colorings tainted a poisonous scarlet by the crackling flames around them. As they stood, the scythe-like claws they wielded glowed with a shining light, their eyes glowing as they searched their surroundings.

Beside the two other types hovered a third species. Scythe-like wings spread wide as they let out a cry, the shrill sound of which caused Maria and Hibiki to wince slightly, their violet star-shaped forms taking to the evening sky en masse. Staring on as the creatures gathered before them, Maria spoke up, her eyes narrowed in disgust.

"These Noise…something seems off about them."

A pause, the creatures surrounding the duo at their mistress' silent command. Nodding at Maria's statement, Hibiki replied, body sliding into a loose defensive stance.

"Yeah. The question is...what?"

-GX-

"Pattern confirmed!" Aoi called out, her fingers racing over the keyboard as alarms blared around her. On screen at the head of the room, the footage of the plaza was on full display, the group of newcomers arising from within the crimson circles beneath them. Bringing the signal they were obtaining from the creatures on screen up in full and putting it against the signals they had received in the database, she continued, an alarmed tone to her voice. "Noise pattern confirmed!"

"But how? _Solomon_ is sealed away at Suzaku, isn't it?" Fujitaka asked, eyes wide in alarm as the swarm of what appeared to be noise moved to surround Hibiki and Maria. Nodding briefly in response to his subordinate's question, Genjurou spoke up, his concern over the situation evident across his face.

"It is." Reaching out and quickly tapping a few keys at his console, he continued, the bad feeling he had felt only rising in intensity. "And there shouldn't be any other way to summon Noise. So what the hell is going on over there?"

"Sir, we just received word from Ogawa that the evacuation of the arena is complete. He's awaiting orders."

"Tell Ogawa that as soon as possible I want him to withdraw along with Maria and Hibiki. Aoi, after doing so, get Maria and Hibiki on the line and relay that plan to them as well. The situation is only escalating the longer it goes on."

As Aoi turned back to her console, Genjurou returned to his thoughts, the images of the noise on screen causing his mind to race. ' _Something's different about those Noise...but what?'_

It was the sound of the alarms blaring back to life that shook him from his thoughts again. Snapping into action, he quickly typed in a series of commands as the video on screen compressed to one side, leaving the rest of the screen for the new alert.

"Pull it up now!" Genjurou ordered, his voice booming loudly over the sound of the alarms. Reacting quickly to his command, Fujitaka's hands flew over the keys at his station, the monitor quickly changing focus to reveal the source of the disturbance.

"Sir, we have another signal appearing in Odaiba, bayside park!"

"Another one?" Genjurou replied, eyes shifting rapidly toward the brunette as he continued to speak. "Is it another Noise pattern?"

"No," the bridge crewman replied, his eyes narrowing as his computer system found something. Pulling it up and pushing it to the main monitor on screen, he continued, voice filled slightly with disbelief. "Sir, this reading-it's matching the one from last night in Yokohama!"

' _I knew it wasn't a coincidence…'_ Genjurou thought, mind racing as he worked to take in the new information and formulate a new plan. Before he could give any orders the alarm went off a third time, the signal on screen flashing brightly.

"Sir, there are reports of an explosion in Odaiba!"

"Damnit…" Genjurou growled out, hands clenched tightly into fists on the console. Quickly creating a plan mentally and taking a steadying breath, he stood from his seat, eyes not breaking contact with the monitor as the wielders on screen began to tear into the Noise surrounding them.

"Aoi, I want a helicopter to meet with Chris, Tsubasa, Shirabe, and Kirika near their location. Have it loaded up with one of my niece's bikes; I want maximum mobility. After you get that launched, get a hold of them; I'll brief them when they're on the line. Fujitaka, keep an eye on the situation in London; tell Ogawa, Maria, and Hibiki that they are to withdraw as soon as they have an opportunity. Let's go, people-we don't have all day!"

-GX-

"This is...horrible," Shiori whispered, taking in the images being shown of the attack taking place in London by the newscast on screen. Beside her Yumi sat in silence as tears streamed down her face, Kuriyo trying to rub the shoulders of the anime lover in an attempt to calm her down. "Who would do something like this?"

"I...don't know," Miku whispered, the images on screen showing the blazing hellscape that the square outside the arena had become. Looking over her shoulder to where Chris and Tsubasa had been seated, she felt her girlfriend shudder slightly beside her. It had all been so sudden: one second they were watching the latest artist performing on stage, then the next their feed had been cut off, a news broadcast taking over to advise of an attack on the concert area, leaving all of the girls stunned.

"Whoever it is...Hibiki-san and Maria-nee are there. I'm sure they can handle them," Kirika said, a tension to her voice as she looked over toward the others. Beside her, Shirabe nodded before speaking up, her eyes not leaving the screen.

"I hope you're right, Kirika." Falling silent at that, Shirabe allowed her thoughts to drift, even as she took note of how the other girls in the room were handling the situation, eyes hovering on where Miku was sitting with Yuri, wrapping an arm around the now-third year student. But before Shirabe could lose herself too much in her thoughts, the sound of the door to the back area slamming open grabbed her attention.

"Shirabe. Kirika. That was HQ. We've gotta move," Chris said, Tsubasa following closely behind her as they re-entered the common room. Turning toward Miku as the younger duo stood from their seats, Chris continued, an agitation in her voice that set Miku on edge. "Sorry. Looks like we'll have to cut things short tonight."

"Chris, it's fine," Miku replied, nodding slightly in understanding, drawing a confused look from Yuri in response. "You want us to finish the cleanup here before we leave?"

"No, I'll get it when I get home. Thanks for offering though."

"Be safe out there, will you? Hibiki would freak if something happened to you."

"I know," Chris answered, voice quiet as her mind drifted back to her conversation the previous morning. "I'll be careful. Lock up when everyone leaves, okay?"

At that she was out the door, Shirabe and Kirika following right behind her as Tsubasa followed soon after, the bluenette sending a reassuring smile Miku's way as she left. Watching quietly as the door shut behind the quartet, Miku found herself lost in thought, even as a sickening feeling made itself known to her.

' _I wish there was more I could do to help...'_ she thought, even as she and Yuri started to get things together so that they could leave. Clenching her fists lightly, she found herself staring at the images on screen, the hellscape that had used to be an entrance to the arena engraving itself into her mind. ' _Be careful, all of you...I have a bad feeling about this one…'_

Yuri looked at Miku with a look of concern on her face. Reaching out and taking one of Miku's hands in her own she spoke up, the soothing tone of her voice snapping the older girl out of her thoughts.

"Hey...Miku, what's going on? You looked...a bit scary for a second there."

"Ah...sorry," Miku replied, shaking her head and turning to meet Yuri's gaze. "It's nothing. Let's get some of this cleaned up, okay?"

Watching Miku closely, the concern on her face not leaving despite the older girl's answer, Yuri nodded before following suit. However, even as they worked in a comfortable silence alongside Yumi, Shiori, and Kuriyo, the memory of her girlfriend's tensed up body would not leave her. Shaking her head as she placed the last of the cake plates into the dishwasher, she stood up, staring silently as Miku picked up the larger plates scattered around the common room.

-GX-

' _There's just so many of them…'_ Maria thought, withdrawing her dagger from the corpse of a Noise that had snuck up on her and watching it fall apart, a red powder left behind. ' _That's...weird. They used to fall into ash, didn't they? So what the hell are these ones made of then?'_ Spinning around at the sound of footsteps coming from behind her, she stepped back just in time to avoid a pair of the flying Noise as they crashed into the pavement in front of her, their glowing wings slicing through the pavement in a haze of red before taking flight back into the summer sky.

"What the hell are they?" She asked, quickly leaping over the trenches to engage another pair of the creatures in combat. Sidestepping one of the taller noise's sickels as it lashed out at her, she counterattacked, the dagger in her hand striking true and cutting into the creature's 'face' with ease. Not allowing the momentum to go to waste she continued, another dagger ejecting itself from her gauntlet into her left hand before she stabbed it into the side of a smaller Noise, causing it to fall apart with a cry before another pair of the creatures took its place, forcing her back on the defensive. Bringing weapon up to match, she danced past the creatures, their glowing blades slicing through nothing but air only to fall to pieces as she stabbed them in the back of the neck.

"They don't seem any tougher than the regular Noise," she said, flipping her grip on the dagger she held. Quickly expanding it into a sword, she lashed out, her blade cleaving through another trio of the orange Noise with minimal resistance. The creatures wouldn't take this lying down however; before she could continue her dance of death through their ranks they seemed to adjust, a pair of the smaller green noise spinning end over end toward her and forcing her to leap away, only for a trio of the aerial monsters to attempt to take advantage, leading her to twist out of the way before they could cut into her directly, only to slice through the side of the building behind her, brick and mortar dissolving on contact.

"But whatever they're made of, it's definitely a lot more dangerous." she said, leaping aside to avoid another pair of the smaller noise as they spun through the ground like sawblades. Getting her footing once again on a nearby debris pile she struck back, pulling a chain of daggers from her gauntlet before sending them towards her opponents, the silver blades piercing through a number of the aerial beasts and disintegrating them on contact.

"Hibiki, be careful! These things aren't the ordinary Noise!" She called out to her friend before ducking under another pair of the flying beasts as they tried to attack her. Bringing her blade up and cutting through the pair with an overhead slash as they tried to get out of her reach, she climbed back to her feet just in time to see another quartet of the orange enemies approaching.

"Damn...they're coming in more numbers now?"

Across the square, Hibiki found herself dealing with her own group of Noise. Stepping back to avoid a quick swipe from one of the orange noise she countered, a quick punch to the face causing it to crumble apart. Stepping into the gap created, Hibiki continued the attack, ducking under another sickle swipe before a sweep kick took the Noise's legs out from under it. Rising quickly she danced straight into the next pair of opponents, tilting her head to the side to avoid an attack by one only to destroy both with a single spin kick.

"What is with these guys?" She asked herself quietly as she leapt to the side, a pair of the smaller noise passing through where she had been and carving out steadily widening trenches into the concrete. ' _I can't let them even land a single hit. If they did...'_ she thought, taking note as she punched through another pair of the creatures with a quick combination. Spinning around as a quartet of the creatures surrounded her, she danced through the group, quickly dispatching the Noise in a flurry of punches and kicks before emerging on the other side unscathed.

"They're fighting differently than they were earlier," She said as another small group of the orange creatures approached, arms aglow in the summer night air. Stepping backward to avoid the first attack she countered, leg coming up in what looked to be a spin kick only to flash out in a side kick, impacting the first noise's face and causing it to crumble. Turning toward her next opponent she pressed her advantage, ducking under a crossing slash by the next Noise before rising and catching it with an uppercut, the creature dissolving on contact. Quickly backstepping to avoid another counterattack from her opponents Hibiki stepped back into reach, dispatching the remaining pair of noise in the group in a hastily executed flurry of punches before throwing herself to the concrete as a pair of the aerial noise swooped in.

"Too close," she said, pushing herself back up off the cracked concrete beneath her. Catching a glimpse of white flashing towards her, she dove forward, rolling out of the way as a pair of the smaller opponents sliced through the surface where she had been just a second prior. Looking back at the rapidly expanding gash left behind by the creatures, she found herself back on the defensive, another pair of the taller Noise closing in quickly and forcing her to dance away.

' _That was almost too coordinated...'_ she thought, tilting her head to the side, one of the creatures' arms passing right past her. Stepping inside the lead Noise's guard she went back on the offensive, engaging the creatures in a deadly dance. Quickly disposing of the group that had attacked her, she turned just in time to see a pair of the smaller Noise carve through concrete, crimson trails behind them steadily widening and revealing a void behind them. ' _Shit…'_ she thought, her eyes widening in surprise before leaping to the side, narrowly avoiding contact. Landing and skidding to a stop on the cracked and battered concrete, she slid into a stance, bracing herself for another round as another group of the creatures approached. Racing forward, she threw herself back into the fray, ducking under the outstretched reach of the leading Noise and engaging the smaller beasts at the center of the group.

Sidestepping as the first of the mole-like creatures lashed out, its glowing claws finding nothing but the heated summer air, she countered, foot swinging down in an axe kick that smashed it into the concrete below as it crumbled to pieces. Stepping forward she continued her attack, ducking low into a stance and catching another Noise in a quick punch to its face only to rise in an uppercut, fist smashing into where its face would have been. Spinning away as another creature tried to take advantage of its comrade's demise, she swept in low, connecting with and obliterating another one of the taller Noise. Taking a quick count of the remaining creatures in the group in front of her, she engaged them once more, the dance of attack and counterattack continuing once again, even as the Noise slowly continued to disperse.

"We're getting there, but there's still so many of them," Maria whispered to herself as she plunged her dagger into another of the multiple flying creatures in the area. Tilting her head to the side to avoid another of the flying group of opponents, she continued the attack, bringing her dagger up and piercing it at the center, the attacking noise letting out a haunting cry into the smoke-filled night as it disappeared. withdrawing her weapon from the cloud of crimson as it fell to the pavement, she found herself back on the defensive.

Dancing around the smaller Noise's attempt to attack her, she lashed out, dagger transmuting into a whip sword and extending out, cutting through the beasts with ease even as the asphalt around her continued to dissolve. Retracting the blade back into a regular sword she panted lightly, the fires scattered through the area having superheated the air even beyond the warmth of the early summer night. Before she could try to press the advantage a flash of silver appeared in the corner of her eye, drawing her attention to a trio of flying enemies closing in on her at high speed.

"What the-" Maria said, eyes widening slightly. Quickly projecting a trio of daggers in front of her and creating a shield of silver energy, she caught the onrushing opponents before turning her attention back to the remaining pair of opponents in front of her...only for the sound of the barrier she'd projected being cut through to regain her attention.

"Shit!" She cried, leaping away to the side as the shield gave way, dissolving to nothing as the aerial noise passed through. Watching in shock as they passed by her only to cut into the arena itself, steel slowly dissolving in a crimson mist, she brought her guard back up as a larger group of the opponents surrounded her.

' _That was too close...I can't get caught off guard like that again…'_ she thought, even as she raised the sword into the air above her head. Mentally willing the blade to expand into its whip-like state she lashed out, shards of phonic gain-charged steel surrounding her in a literal whirlwind, slicing through the crowd of creatures surrounding her and filling the air with a fine crimson mist as clouds of whatever the Noise were made from drifted to the ground. Standing as her armed gear returned to its dagger form, she turned toward the few remaining noise around her as they closed in, armed gear brought up in front of her in a defensive posture.

Ducking under the outstretched arm of one of the orange Noise as it attacked, she struck back, dagger cutting through the heated air and bisecting the creature at its waist. Taking advantage of her momentum she continued her offensive, a second dagger springing back into her free hand as she danced through the crowd, her blades cutting down creature after creature. Leaping aside as a trio of aerial Noise swooped in with wings aglow, she drew a number of additional daggers from her gauntlet and let fly, the blades racing toward the airborne creatures in the area and piercing right through them before they could react. Lowering her arm as the crimson clouds drifted to the ground, Maria looked for her next opponent, only for a now-familiar voice to cause her to freeze in place.

"I see your resolve. It's impressive," Carol said, her voice a deadly serious tone. Spinning around, eyes wide, Maria stepped back and slid into a defensive stance, dagger raised to defend herself. Undeterred, Carol simply shook her head before speaking once more, a series of scarlet rings glowing around her arm as she spoke. "But you're still too weak, plus you're in my way. I'm afraid I need you to MOVE."

At that, the rings glowed brightly, a symbol that looked like a campfire appearing in front of her palm. Before Maria could even react she was engulfed in an explosion, flames shooting up from the area around her and causing her to scream out in agony. Not wasting any time, Carol continued her assault, an emerald ring appearing above her before a massive Cyclone roared forth, fanning the flames consuming Maria even higher and sweeping her off her feet just in time for a second explosion to catch her in its wrath. Seconds later Maria was flung across the plaza, her unconscious body crashing through the side of the arena before bouncing off the floor of the outer concourse, only to finally come to rest just outside of the central bowl, the crystal relic pendant she had worn with pride cracked in two right beside her.

"That was-" Hibiki gasped out, eyes wide as she ducked underneath the outstretched arm of the final Noise around her. Dispatching the creature with a quick blow to its center, she span around, turning just in time to witness a final explosion ring forth. ' _No…it can't...'_ she thought, helpless to do anything to stop Carol's attack as Maria was flung across the square and through the side of Riverside Arena, the already weakened steel collapsing partially on impact and obscuring her view. Before she could move to try to help her friend, the sound of Carol's voice got her attention.

"Looks like it's just you and me now," She said, voice cold as she turned toward where Hibiki stood. Watching as she visibly quivered in frustration, Carol continued, a small smirk coming onto her face. "Still think you can stand in the way of the truth that I'm going to create?"

Glaring in Carol's direction, Hibiki slid into a loose stance, arms crossed similarly to how they had been at the start of the fight. Letting out a calming breath, she remained silent, renewed determination entering her eyes. Matching Hibiki's glare with one of her own, Carol spoke again, even as rings of light appeared around her arms once more.

"Then so be it…" Carol called out, voice filling the plaza as an undeniable tension fell over them. The duo locking eyes with one another, she continued, a finality to her tone.

"I'll end this here."

-GX-

"Sir, we've lost signal from Maria," Aoi called out, her voice breaking through the silence that had fallen over the bridge crew. Turning to look toward Genjurou she continued, the image on screen telling all anyone needs to know. " _Airgetlam_...we've lost its wave pattern as well. Who is that woman they've been fighting?"

"We can worry about that later," Genjurou replied, voice rising over the din of the deck crew's fingers racing over their keyboards. Turning to look at where Aoi sat, he continued, even as his hands clenched into fists on his station. "For now, get Ogawa on the line and have him go to get Maria, then have him withdraw. Fujitaka, get Hibiki on the line; I want her to get out of there NOW. I'm not risking her getting injured or having her relic damaged."

"Sir, what about the other wielders?" Aoi replied, her fingers flying over the keyboard at her station. As the audio feed appeared on Genjurou's display, she continued, a tension in her voice as she concentrated on her own display. "Should we alert them about what's going on?"

Genjurou was silent, his eyes darting to where the main monitor displayed the video feed from London. Pausing to gather himself, he spoke up, eyes drifting down toward his display.

"Right now isn't the time. Everything is still too uncertain."

"Sir, I have Ogawa on the line," A bridge bunny said, her words causing Genjurou to nod.

"Put him through. Once I finish speaking with him, get a hold of Hibiki! And keep me updated on the other wielders! I want an ETA on their arrival in Odaiba!"

-GX-

"I'm with Maria now," Ogawa said, his breath only slightly labored. Taking in the sight of the unconscious Maria he continued, even as he kneeled next to her and took a measure of her pulse. "I need a medical crew out here as soon as possible."

"Understood. They're on their way, Ogawa."

"Roger that," he replied, the audio line going dead in response. Taking a breath to remain composed he fell silent, even as his level of concern for the unconscious young woman in front of him grew. Her left arm was bent at an awkward angle, a shard of bone poking out through her skin. Minor burns and cuts covered her arms and exposed parts of her legs, while a small but steady stream of blood flowed down her face from what appeared to be a cut on the top of her head. Taking a quick measure of her pulse and feeling relief come over him, he reached inside his jacket, pulling out a small roll of gauze and tape and starting to get to work.

' _Sorry if this hurts, Maria,'_ he thought to himself as he reset the bone, grimacing slightly at the look of pure pain that came across the unconscious woman's face. Looking around himself and grabbing a small section of metal off the floor, he let out a frown as he placed it on the opposite side of her arm from her injury and wrapped it, creating a makeshift splint. ' _It's not ideal...but, it'll have to do for now, until the medical crew arrives…'_

Wrapping Maria's head wound in bandages and gauze, he paused as a glitter of ruby caught his eye. Taking care to set Maria's head down gently, he stepped away before walking over to the source, the ruby gleam glowing brighter before becoming clear as to what was causing it. Reaching up to his headset and keying the comm to headquarters once more, he spoke up, a frustration entering his voice as he cradled the cracked and sparking _Airgetlam_ pendant in one hand.

"We have a problem."

-GX-

"Be careful out there, okay?" Aoi said, drawing a nod from each of the four wielders on the helicopter as it touched down in front of the local television station. Standing up as the chopper came to a stop, Chris felt a tap on her shoulder from Tsubasa as Shirabe and Kirika disembarked before she spoke up.

"...I'm sure that she'll be fine," She said as she made her way over to the motorcycle that was also on the helicopter. Following behind the older girl, Chris remained silent, her eyes distant as she processed what they had been told about the situation, what Hibiki had told her in the past of her dreams coming back to mind.

"I know," Chris replied, a familiar level of helpless frustration returning to her voice. Looking Tsubasa directly in the eye, she continued, even as her hands clenched into fists. "Damnit…I'd just feel a lot better about it if we knew just what the hell was going on over there, or if I was there with her."

"Calm down, Chris," Tsubasa replied, placing a reassuring hand on the younger girl's shoulder, the Navy blue riding jacket she wore rustling at the movement. "I know you're worried. And you have every right to be. But right now we can't get distracted, not when we're on a mission like this."

Revving the engine of her motorcycle as she swung one leg over it, Tsubasa spoke up one more time, a reassuring smile on her face as she put her racing helmet over her head.

"I'm heading out. Be careful, okay?"

With that, Tsubasa revved the engine once more before roaring out of the helicopter, the high-pitched whine of her motorcycle's engine filling the early morning air. Taking a deep breath in an attempt to purge her concerns from her mind, Chris walked off the chopper before moving to join Shirabe and Kirika. The early morning wind blowing around them, she spoke up, her red blouse fluttering gently with the wind.

"Come on you two. Let's get moving ourselves."

Seconds later the air was filled with the sound of singing, with Red, Pink, and Green spheres of light surrounding the trio. Quickly the light faded away, revealing the group of Symphogear wielders with their gears equipped to the summer morning.

But even as the trio began to head toward the last received signal, Chris couldn't help but lose herself in thought, her concern for her other half remaining just below the surface as a single thought ran through her mind.

' _Something's wrong...I can feel it…'_

-GX-

"Hibiki, this is an order," Genjurou said, his voice filtering through her headphones. "Get out of there, and do it now. Ogawa's already in the process of withdrawing with Maria, so we just need you to withdraw as well. We can't afford to have you get injured or worse, not with Maria already taken out of action."

"No," Hibiki replied, a serious tone in her voice as she continued to glare in her opponent's direction. "I can't, taichou."

"Hibiki, that's not a suggestion," Genjurou replied, frustration rising. "If you withdraw, we can formulate some kind of plan. You have NO backup right now, and we have no true idea what she's capable of. Get out of there, NOW."

"Taichou, I can't do that and I won't," Hibiki shot back, the images of a ruined city her mind. "What if she attacks again? I have to at least try to stop her!"

"Stop being so stubborn! Did you forget that you're on probation after what you pulled on Frontier? Your reckless decisions there almost got you KILLED, Hibiki. I'm going to say this just one more time. Withdraw, and do it NOW. That's an order, Tachibana!"

Hibiki fell silent, her mind racing. Bringing her hand up to her headset, she finally spoke up, a quiet resolve entering her voice.

"I'm sorry."

And with that she ended the call, the audio feed going dead before anything else could be said.

"Are you done?" Carol asked, her voice drawing Hibiki's attention back to herself. Breaking the staredown, she went on the attack, the emerald glyphs around her arm glowing brightly.

Leaping to the side, Hibiki evaded a brilliant cyclone as it passed her by, the howling winds slamming into the building behind her and shredding it apart, mortar falling to the street. Not allowing HIbiki to attempt to close the distance Carol threw her other arm out, a goldenrod series of circles flashing brightly before the ground underneath Hibiki's feet started to shake, causing her to look to her feet in surprise just before the pavement under her erupted upward, massive chunks of earth rising skyward and filling the area with smoke.

Carol wasn't ready to relent however. Glancing to her right as a flash of orange crossed her vision, she brought her right arm back up, a series of brilliant red rings springing forth and spawning a sphere of fire, the flames racing forth with but a flick of the wrist toward where Hibiki climbed to her feet. Reacting quickly, she sidestepped the sphere before moving to close the gap, the heat of Carols' attack singeing her Symphogear as it passed by only to slam into the plaza steps, exploding and scattering metal and concrete throughout the area.

Taking advantage of the opening given by Carol's spell, Hibiki closed the gap before attempting to strike back. Ducking underneath a quick punch thrown by the woman across from her, Hibiki went on the attack, rising and throwing a punch toward Carol's midsection that caused her to twist to the side. Rising quickly to attempt to keep the pressure, Hibiki spun clockwise, her right leg coming up from behind her in a spinning kick toward Carol's head.

Dropping underneath the blow and allowing it to pass cleanly, Carol went on the counter offensive, an open palm quickly flashing toward Hibiki's exposed body, the alchemy enhanced limb striking home and forcing Hibiki away. Pressing the advantage, Carol closed the gap, a trio of Alchemy-enhanced punches flashing toward Hibiki's face in quick succession. Tilting her head to the side and allowing Carol's punches to pass by, Hibiki countered, stepping in close and grabbing the alchemist by the arm before bringing her leg up in a roundhouse kick aimed at Carol's head.

Carol would have nothing of it. Ducking under the kick and catching Hibiki off balance, a quickly spawned cyclone crashed headlong into the _Gungnir_ wielder, sending her tumbling away into the center ot the plaza before coming to a stop. Not content to allow her opponent to gain a foothold, Carol continued her attack, a goldenrod glyph appearing above her before slamming into the ground.

' _Gotta move!'_ Hibiki thought, leaping away just in time to avoid being caught in the blast as the plaza erupted, asphalt and concrete blasting upward in a blaze of light and energy. Quickly closing the gap between them, she attempted to take the fight to Carol, a quick punch aimed at Carol's head being deflected away by the taller woman.

Not to be deterred, Hibiki continued her offensive. Pivoting off Carol's block she dropped low, leg flashing out in a spinning sweep aimed at Carol's legs, taking the Alchemist's legs out from under her before rising upwards, her fist burying itself under Carol's chin and causing her head to snap back on impact.

Taking advantage as Carol stumbled backwards Hibiki closed in again, arm flashing out in a quick feint toward Carol's stomach. Recovering quickly, Carol moved, arm coming in and deflecting the blow before quickly bringing her arms up above her head to block the axe kick Hibiki had followed up with. Stepping back to create distance, Carol's arm lashed out, an emerald cyclone tearing forth toward Hibiki and forcing her to dodge to the side, giving the alchemist additional breathing room.

"So...is there a truth you're fighting for?" Carol asked, even as Hibiki closed the distance between them again. Tilting her head to the side and letting Hibiki's punch go by before blocking the other two that came in, she continued, a small smirk appearing on her face as she stepped inside of Hibiki's guard and delivered an open-palmed strike.

"Because if not..."

Another strike, Hibiki doubling over slightly at the force of the blow.

"I'll kill you here!"

A third strike flew in, this time aimed for where her scar would have rested. Reacting quickly, Hibiki deflected the blow, left arm sweeping Carol's attack to the side. Taking advantage of the newly found opening she stood straight, blocking arm outstretched toward the alchemist as an orange lightning crackled through her right gauntlet, her right arm held at waist level. Before Carol could react she stepped forward, right arm snapping out in a phonically charged punch aimed at Carol's head...only to be stopped before reaching its destination.

"You can't reach me at all," Carol said, eyes flashing dangerously as she held Hibiki's fist back with but a single finger. "You're no threat to me or to the truth that I'm seeking."

Her non-blocking arm quickly becoming surrounded by a full quartet of rings of light, Carol stepped forward, a cold smile on her face in contrast to the frustration on Hibiki's own. Raising her arm up and snapping her fingers, an unfamiliar emerald symbol appeared, just before Carol said one final word.

"Disappear."

Dropping her hand that was blocking Hibiki's fist, Carol went on the offensive. Allowing her opponent's arm to pass by her head, Carol struck quickly, a smaller ring of light appearing around her arm and glowing brilliantly as she landed another open-palmed strike to Hibiki's stomach. Gasping audibly on impact, Hibiki had no time to respond before a gust of wind came from the sole ring of light, pushing her backward and creating additional space for Carol to work with.

Skidding to a stop at the edge of the square, Hibiki had no time to react as Carol unleashed the rings of light around her other arm, a quartet of smaller tornadoes surging forth at her mental command, the storms making contact with the street, tearing it up before combining together. Hibiki found herself lifted off her feet with a cry, the winds sucking her into their grasp and tearing away at her symphogear armor while bludgeoning her with their strength before flinging her toward the center of the plaza, her relic sparking lightly as cracks developed all along it from the pressure.

Continuing her attack on the _Gungnir_ wielder, a massive golden ring of light hovered above Carol's head shined brightly before the center of the plaza exploded, tossing Hibiki through the air as her armor slowly dissolved. Before it could vanish completely, she slammed into one of the support pillars outside of the arena with a thud, her battered body falling to the ground before her Symphogear disappeared.

"For someone like her to think she could stop me…" Carol trailed off, stone cold eyes taking in the devastated area as she looked toward where Hibiki had been thrown. "Interesting. My alchemy will reveal my truth to this world. For you to reject that...I wonder what truth you believe in, Symphogear wielder."

Turning away from the scene of destruction she had caused, she stood in silence as the fires around the area burned brightly, the dancing flames calling an unwelcome memory back to her as she spoke up.

"Garie, we're leaving. Your playtime is over."

"And just as I was getting to the good part, too…" her servant said, emerging from the nearby alleyway, outfit dishevelled as if she'd hastily thrown it back on. "The sound of them as they shivered from my service...I could have played with them all night long."

"Garie...I'm warning you…"

"Fine, fine...you're the one who made me this way though, mistress. Don't forget that...or do I have to bring up what I heard you doing the other night?"

A silent glare thrown her way forced the being to fall silent, even as Carol began her reply.

"And you shouldn't forget why you were here with me. I don't care how you go about it, but when I say we're done here, that means we're leaving. No exceptions."

"Fine…" Garie pouted, a disappointed pout on her face. Reaching up and grabbing a pink crystal from where it rested in her hairband, she tossed it to the destroyed street, a shining glyph appearing underneath her feet before she vanished, the glyph disappearing behind her.

Sparing one last glance toward the decimated plaza, Carol reached behind her back and withdrew her own crystal. Throwing it to the pavement beneath her feet, she quickly disappeared, but not before leaving one final statement to the superheated summer air.

"This is only the beginning…"

-GX-

" _Gungnir_ 's wave pattern's gone silent," Fujitaka said, quickly relaying the required info to Genjurou. "And we barely have a signal from Hibiki's communicator. Sir, the energy readings from that battle...what the hell was she facing?"

"Damnit…I knew this would happen," Genjurou said, hands clenched into fists as he stared at the screen. Pausing for a moment to take a calming breath and to come up with a plan, he continued, frustration evident on his face. "Get Ogawa on the line; I want to know where he and Maria are. We'll need him to get Hibiki out of there. What's the status of the other wielders in Odaiba?"

"No update there as of yet," Aoi said, her fingers flying rapidly over the surface of her keyboard. "We're detecting a weird energy reading similar to what was picked up in London near Chris' location. Should I have her, Shirabe, and Kirika investigate?"

Another pause, Genjurou reflecting over what had happened in London. ' _If it's someone that's just as powerful as who Hibiki and Maria were up against...they might not stand a chance. But we can't back down…'_ Narrowing his eyes he spoke up, a decision having been made.

"Get Chris on the line. And have Ogawa go to Hibiki's location as soon as possible."

"Understood, sir." Aoi said, a concerned look on her face. Letting out a small sigh, Genjurou fell into silence, his thoughts and concerns turning toward his former student's health after what he had just witnessed before he changed focus back to the matter at hand, an 'Audio only' feed appearing on the monitor in front of him.

 _ **Bayside Park, Odaiba, Tokyo**_

"Is that really all you can do, Elfnein? I'm getting bored," Leiur called out, a neutral expression on her face as she stared at the damaged landscape below. Summoning another trio of coins to her hand, she flipped them into the air, each of them glittering under the early summer moonlight before being caught once again. "I'll give you one last chance to return peacefully with what you've stolen from Mistress Carol. You're smart; I'm sure that you'll come to the right decision."

"I...won't…" Elfnein panted out, the toll of the previous hours of running away clearly catching up to her. Taking a moment to gather herself as she clutched the box with her cargo closer to her body, she continued, eyes glancing up to the top of the nearby building where Garie stood waiting. "I won't go back. There's too much at stake."

"A shame," Leiur replied, the coins glowing brightly. "Then I'll just have to kill you where you stand. You've made for a somewhat entertaining chase, at least."

' _Please...let them get here in time…'_ Elfnein thought, her eyes staring defiantly up toward her assailant before Leiur swung her arm down, sending the coins streaking toward her. Bringing her arm up in an attempt to re-cast the barrier spell she had relied on for so long, her eyes widened as it refused to appear. She braced herself mentally, the coins closing in...only to be intercepted by a hail of bullets, the resulting explosions hiding Leiur from view.

"I don't know who you are," Chris said, eyes glancing up toward where Leiur stood atop the nearby apartment building as she stepped into view, Symphogear active and the double barreled gatling on her left arm smoking. "And right now, I don't fucking care either. If you want a fight so badly, I'll be more than happy to give you one!"

"Temper, temper…" Leiur chided, a single finger wagging in the air and causing Chris to scowl. Summoning another quartet of coins into her hand, she continued, her eyes glancing down toward where she stood between herself and Elfnein. "Be careful what you wish for, girl."

"Bitch…" Chris growled out, the frustration of not knowing what was going on in London combining with the frustration she had over the situation. Raising her no-longer smoking weapon up to point at Leiur's location, she turned to look at Elfnein, finger hovering over the trigger. "Hey, I don't know who you are, but get clear, okay? This is about to get a bit chaotic, and I don't want you getting caught in the crossfire."

"Be careful," Elfnein said, standing with a grateful smile in Chris' direction before turning to leave. "She's...different from anything you've faced before." Nodding slightly in response to her words, Chris returned her focus to where Leiur stood, both of them waiting for the other to make the first move as Chris tried to ponder over what Elfnein had meant.

Before she could put much thought into the matter, Leiur went on the attack, a trio of coins streaking toward her at high speed. Frowning in response Chris opened fire, the barrels of her weapon speaking and spraying forth bullet after bullet, the projectiles meeting in mid air and detonating the coins in a flash of light.

Not satisfied with just that however, Chris poured it on, round after round erupting forward toward Leiur and forcing her to leap away from the roof she was on. Scowling slightly, Chris followed her target as she moved to land on the nearby archway before opening fire again, gatling barking loudly as it spewed ammo at Leiur. But she would not hit home, Leiur almost dancing as she ducked underneath the attack and returned fire, coin after coin spewing forth and forcing Chris on the evasive.

' _She's definitely fast…'_ She thought, leaping backwards and quickly shifting the weapon on hand from its gatling form back into its gauntlet state. Landing briefly and shifting her weapons into a crossbow state, she opened return fire, bolt after bolt of light streaming forth from her weapons and crashing into the coins shot by Leiur, filling the early morning sky with explosions.

"You're doing well to keep up so far," Leiur said, ducking down to avoid another volley of arrows shot her way from Chris' weapons. Spinning around in place and summoning another set of coins into her hands, Leiur continued, the fresh coins glinting dangerously.

"But let's see just how far you can go, shall we?"

With those words, she let loose, flinging the coins outward toward Chris, only for them to hover around Leiur in a circular fashion. Glowing brilliantly, a series of circles of light appeared around them before letting loose, dozens of the weapons surging forth toward where Chris stood and forcing her to leap away, the veritable storm of weapons making impact where she had stood.

' _Shit...what the hell is she?'_ Chris thought as she opened fire in response, the volley of arrows lancing toward her opponent. Ducking down under the initial group, her opponent began to spin, body contorting with ease around the first few arrows even as she snatched a pair of the bolts out of the sky. Taking advantage of the brief distraction, Chris changed plans again, her crossbows storing away before she changed weapons to a longbow, a trio of crystalline arrows appearing in her hands. ' _She's not human...her reaction times are just too fast for that. In that case...I can't hold anything back.'_

"This can't be the best you have, is it?" Leiur asked, coming to a stop in her spin and bringing another set of coins into hand. Not speaking a word in response, Chris narrowed her eyes as she notched the first of her arrows onto her weapon. Quickly pulling the string back with practiced ease she took aim, arrow pointed toward where Leiur stood.

"Wouldn't you like to fucking know?" Chris shot back before letting loose, releasing the string and allowing the first of her trio of arrows to fly forth. Re-notching her bow with the second bolt she found herself back on the defensive, Leiur having ducked under the first of her bolts in an unnatural angle and returning fire, the trio of coins darting forth and impacting the ground around Chris in a triangle. ' _Did she...miss?'_

"Look out!" An unfamiliar voice shouted out from the distance, sending Chris on alert as the ground underneath her started to shake. Leaping away just in time, Chris took her second shot in mid-air, the bolt narrowly missing Leiur only for her to snap her fingers, the ground where Chris had been standing erupting in a column of rock and light. Landing atop the nearby pavilion and notching the last of her crystalline arrows, Chris quickly took aim before opening fire, her arrow soaring above Leiur seemingly harmlessly.

Before Leiur could say anything, Chris smirked, the arrows she had fired splintering into crystal fragments as they hung above Leiur. At Chris' command, they began to fall, a crystal rain descending on Leiur before impacting the ground around her, consuming the area in a series of explosions. ' _No way that got her, did it?'_ Chris thought, eyes scanning the area for any sign of Leiur.

As if to answer her unspoken question, a flash of light got her attention from within the cloud of destroyed gravel and earth before a barrage of coins flew forth. Hopping to the side and allowing the weapons to pass her by , one of them basrely clipping some of her lengthy hair, she scowled before taking fresh aim and opening fire, the fresh group of arrows flying in and resuming their clash against the group of coins Leiur summoned to match.

"You're good; to be able to match my projectiles shot for shot is impressive," Leiur commented, a small grin on her face as she twisted out of the way of another group on arrows. Summoning another group of coins, this batch glowing slightly as she sent them toward Chris, she continued, even as her opponent ducked away from the attack, her arrows reloading midway. "But you're still no match for my alchemy. It's just a matter of time."

Chris' eyes went wide briefly before narrowing in focus. Rolling out of the way of another set of shots that seemed to bury themselves in the ground, she shifted weapons, the crossbows returning back to her gauntlets before converting into a shotgun. Before she could resume her attack however, the feeling of the ground underneath her shaking caused her to to roll out of the way just before everything erupted, the grassy area she had been standing on erupting up from underground in a flash of raw light and power.

"That was the second time she did that," Chris noted, turning and catching a look at the decimated area. What she saw nearly caused her to freeze; the rock had seemingly been eaten away, a pit of nothingness remaining in the wake of the explosion. ' _Alchemy, huh...I can't afford to get hit by that. If I get caught even once…'_ she thought, before quickly turning back to where Leiur was staring at her with a composed and confident look on her face.

"So...shall we continue? And make this as entertaining as possible for me, will you?" Leiur asked, locking eyes with Chris as she stood. Shifting her weapon back into her crossbows, Chris nodded as a fresh group of energy bolts spawned, ready to strike. Both ranged fighters quickly opened fire, their weapons' payloads clashing in the air above the remnants of the park and creating a fresh series of explosions.

Before Chris could get off another shot, the triumphant grin on Leiur's face caused her to pause. ' _What is she…'_ she thought, before a familiar voice grabbed her attention.

"Chris-senpai! Look out! They're above you!"

"What the-" Chris cried, before everything fell into place mentally. Eyes wide, she tried to leap away, only for a rain of massive flame-colored crystals to rain from above, slamming into where she had been standing just a half second before. And as Shirabe and Kirika entered the area, fully clad in their Armor, another figure entered the fray, leaping off a nearby building and landing in the middle of the park's open area. Standing up to their full height as their black and red blouse fluttered in the early morning air, Leiur spoke up to greet them.

"Well, well...Welcome to the party, Micha."

As Shirabe and Kirika joined up with Chris, Elfnein looked on in concern. Clutching the box containing her precious cargo closer to her chest, a single thought filled her mind.

' _This whole situation keeps escalating...Carol, why are you doing this?'_

-GX-

"I'm heading there now," Tsubasa said into the microphone inside her helmet as she raced down the early-morning Odaiba street. Rounding the corner of the intersection and revving the motor, she shot down the street, her bike allowing her to ground faster than she could have gone on her own. "I'll be there in about...five minutes tops."

"Understood. Just get to where the others are as quickly as you can." At that, her headset went dead, Aoi's voice crackling silent. Narrowing her eyes, Tsubasa swung her bike around the corner of another intersection before accelerating once again, the residential apartment buildings seemingly flying by her.

' _First the attack in London...now this…'_ She thought, eyes focused on the road ahead of her as she meged onto the highway. Weaving through the early morning traffic, she found herself on the bridge connecting Odaiba to the mainland, her eyes focused on the road in front of her even as her thoughts continued to race. ' _What is happening? And what are they after?'_

Weaving around the early morning traffic and merging onto the off ramp, Tsubasa shook her head slightly, the sound of her partner's high-pitched whine filling her ears before the sound of an engine from nearby grabbed her attention. Swinging her bike around the corner as she exited onto the island itself, she forced herself to come to a rapid stop as a figure on a similar motorcycle was waiting for her, their bike parked in the middle of the road. Revving their engine, they began to speak, eyes locked onto Tsubasa's own.

"I've been waiting for you," They began, revving their motorcycle's engine once more. "And it's about time you showed up here." Drawing single, lengthy sword from its resting place on her vehicle's side, she raised it into the air before pointing it at Tsubasa directly, causing her to scowl.

"I don't have time for this. Who, or should I say _what_ , are you?" She asked, the engine of her motorcycle humming patiently beneath her. As if to mock her, the rider of the other vehicle stood there in silence, the forest green riding jacket she wore matching her ride perfectly. Turning her head to one side, they spoke up, sword still pointed directly at Tsubasa's head.

"Me? Well, that's funny to hear from the one who is at sword-point." A Pause, as they allowed their words to sink into Tsubasa's mind. "My name is Phara. As for what I am?" A grin, as she swung her leg over her bike and revved the engine.

"Autoscorer." Revving the engine one final time, she swung the bike to face Tsubasa directly, the rubber of her tires screaming against the pavement beneath her. "But it doesn't matter. Not for a has been like you."

Tsubasa spoke up, voice barely audible over the sound of rubber squealing as she revved her bike's engine.

"I'm anything but a has been. And I'll prove it to you right here." Reaching up and withdrawing her relic pendant from underneath her riding jacket, she began to sing, her voice rising into the early morning sky.

- _Imyuteus Ame no Habakiri Tron-_

A brilliant azure sphere of light surrounded Tsubasa at her song before fading away, her Symphogear's armor having replaced her riding attire within seconds. Drawing a single, solitary katana from her armor's storage, she revved the engine of her motorcycle before both vehicles shot forward, their riders' blades clashing in a shower of sparks as they passed each other by.

' _She's good…'_ Tsubasa thought, quickly slide-turning her motorcycle around for another pass. Bringing her katana up in her right hand and taking note of where Phara was turning around herself, she revved the engine before racing in, sword flashing out in a slash aimed for her opponent's risk. It wasn't anything that Phara didn't see coming however; leaning backwards, she let the blade pass over her before sitting back up and countering, the european-style sword rising upwards toward Tsubasa's rear tire.

Eyes widening slightly, Tsubasa lifted the rear end of er bike into a loose drift, the tire squealing against the asphalt in protest as she managed to get it out of the way of Phara's attack. Taking advantage of the momentum she had created, she returned the favor, her blade rising upward and unleashing a wave of azure light in Phara's direction that forced the autoscorer to take an evasive action of her own.

"Is this the best you can do?" Phara asked, her bike coming to a brief landing before she charged in, reengaging Tsubasa in a clash of blades atop their vehicles. Smirking slightly as longsword met katana, she pushed forward as her blade cut into Tsubasa's in a shower of sparks. "I expected so much MORE from someone of your caliber."

"This is just the beginning," Tsubasa spat out, eyes narrowed in frustration. Pushing back against Phara's attack, her eyes widened as the longsword cleaved through the rest of her weapon with ease. Reacting quickly, she dropped the broken weapon as they zoomed past each other before sliding to a stop in the center of the intersection. ' _How...how did she…'_ Tsubasa thought, her eyes narrowed at her opponent before Phara spoke up, a confidence to her voice that sent shivers down Tsubasa's spine.

"I can see it in your eyes…" She said, a confident smirk on her face. Snapping her fingers, a brilliant green glow surrounded her weapon before she slashed downward, a massive massive wave of wind cutting through the ground toward Tsubasa and forcing her to quickly swerve out of the way. Not giving her a chance to recover, Phara slashed to the side, a second wave of wind cutting through the asphalt and forcing Tsubasa to bring her vehicle to a hasty stop. "Your hesitation and your lack of understanding."

"You're wondering how I broke your weapon..." Chuckling at the glare sent her way in response, Phara prepared to continue, an amused smile on her face. But before she could get a single word out, Tsubasa went on the attack, drawing another weapon from her thigh armor and swinging it rapidly, another fresh wave of light streaking toward Phara directly.

"So tell me, is this really your best, former idol?" Phara said, bringing her weapon down and cutting through the light, sending it scattering to the sides and into the nearby buildings. Revving her bike's engine, she charged forward, blade cutting through the air and forcing Tsubasa to bring up her sword to block, their weapons meeting in a shower of flashing sparks. Breaking the clash, she sped past Tsubasa and sat in the intersection before lashing out, her blade unleashing another wave of light that forced Tsubasa to go on the evasive.

"Or are you just holding back?"

Tsubasa remained silent, her eyes trained on the autoscorer as she tried to come up with an effective strategy. Bringing her katana back to her side, she revved the engine of the modified sports bike beneath her, a strategy taking shape in her mind.

' _I can't let her get to the others...I know they can handle things there while I deal with her…'_ she thought, her vehicle's tires squealing against the asphalt beneath them. Seconds later she raced forward, Phara responding in kind before lashing out with her weapon. Pressing herself flatter against her motorcycle, Tsubasa felt the weapon pass over her head before she flashed out, her armored boot making contact with the tail of Phara's bike as she passed her by, sending her opponent slightly off course. Pausing briefly if only to ensure that the autoscorer would follow her, she raced ahead, the sound of Phara's taunting voice filling her ears.

"Okay...I guess I can play with you for a little longer." Smirking as she followed Tsubasa closely, she continued. " Let's see how much you can struggle, shall we?"

-GX-

"Tsubasa-san is being pursued by the enemy," Fujitaka reported, his eyes staring into the monitor at his station. Glancing over to where the battle in the park between Chris, Shirabe, and Kirika and their opponents was being displayed, he continued, a slightly concerned expression on his face. "Sir, Tsubasa-san's opposition referred to herself as an 'Autoscorer'. We've been running the records for any sort of sign as to what that could be, but so far nothing's coming up."

"Keep checking. If there's been any sort of mention, I want to know what it is," Genjurou trailed off, one hand under his chin as he stared at the footage on screen. ' _An 'Autoscorer'...and abilities that we haven't seen before…'_ he thought, mind trying to process what they had heard through Tsubasa's headset during her initial confrontation with the being she was engaged in combat with. ' _There's still pieces we're missing, but at least some things are clearer now…'_

"Sir, I have Ogawa on the line," Aoi said, shaking Genjurou form his thoughts and drawing his attention from his thoughts.

"Put him through to my station. I'll take the call directly from here."

"Understood."

-GX-

"I'm going to need another medical crew out here," Ogawa said as he kneeled next to the unconscious Hibiki. Taking a quick note of her pulse and finding it steady, he continued, even as he quickly checked her over for any injuries.

"Understood. I'll have Aoi get one out to you. How is she, Ogawa?"

"It's hard to say," he began, eyes looking over Hibiki's naked form to check for any injuries. "It doesn't look as though there are any major external injuries. She has some bruising around her ribs and back, especially around her ribcage. Her breathing is a bit pained, so she could have broken ribs again as well. But that's all I can tell from what I can do here."

"Understood. Keep me updated on her condition. I'm going to guess that _Gungnir_ was damaged as well?"

Silence, as Ogawa took in the state of the damaged relic pendant. Still hanging from Hibiki's neck by its small silver chain, the relic shined dimly in the flame-lit night. Cracks ran all along its surface, further refracting the light from the fires burning all around the area as Ogawa returned it to its resting place.

"Sir...it's the same as _Airgetlam."_

"Understood," Genjurou replied, a frustration entering into his voice at the news. "Keep me updated on what's going on with her and Maria, as well as with your investigation into just what happened there tonight."

"Will do."

As the call disconnected, Ogawa moved, placing his jacket over his charge. But as he turned away to keep an eye out for the medical crew that would be on its way, he missed the sight of the damaged relic as it began to glow, a faint golden glow surrounding the relic pendant as it hung loosely before the glow spread to cover its wielder and faded away.

 _ **Unknown Location, Unknown Time**_

' _Where...am I?' She thought to herself, her eyes checking the area around her. The bright sunlight above her filled the area as large stone columns surrounded her, their stature creating shadows that reached across the courtyard as a whole. 'What is this place?' Taking note of the sound of voices nearby, she walked across the courtyard, the heat of the blazing sun shining down on her as she walked._

 _Soon she found the commotion, as a large crowd stood at the steps of what appeared to be a temple of some kind. Reaching out to one of the members of the crowd around her, their outfits unfamiliar to her, her eyes widened in surprise as her hand passed through them, their robes and figure barely reacting at her movement._

 _Before she could think too far ahead though, one of the figures at the head of the chamber began to speak. Looking up to watch him as he took the hand of one of the figures, she found herself at a loss as the entire crowd around her moved to close in around the duo._

' _What...is this? What am I seeing?' She thought, the words of the ancient priest completely incomprehensible to her. But even as what could only be described as a vision began to fade away, a single phrase reached her ears, as if directed to her specifically while the world faded to white, her mind racing to etch its words into her memory._

" _ **...open the gate to a new tomorrow..."**_

 **End Chapter 2**


	3. Stray Sparks

**Song of the Heart: Redux-GX Arc-**

Author's Notes: Welcome back to GX arc, everyone, and again, apologies for the lengthy delay; real life gets in the way sometimes like that. Things are starting to ramp up, and it's not just Leiur that Chris gets to deal with, but now Micha as well. Meanwhile, Tsubasa is up against Phara in a mobilized battle. And we can't forget about what happened in London, where Hibiki and Maria are left up in the air. There's a lot to cover this time, so let's get to it!

I'd like to once more thank the author of the original "Song of the Heart", Ada1229, for allowing me to adopt her story and idea and make it into my own from there. Also, I'd like to thank both solopy567 and StealthyTanub for being beta readers on this chapter, as well as being amazing help sorting through ideas when needed. Let's go.

 **Disclaimer: I do not own Senki Zesshou Symphogear, Senki Zesshou Symphogear G, Senki Zesshou Symphogear GX, Senki Zesshou Symphogear AXZ, or Senki Zesshou Symphogear XD Unlimited. It is owned by those who own it. I also do not own any music used as insert songs here; they are owned by the respective songwriters and artists.**

 **Please note: the record label used in this fic, Galactic Music Japan, is** _ **NOT**_ **a real music label as far as I know, but is a parody made solely for the purposes of this story. The same goes for JAM TV; as far as I know, it's not a real music channel on TV, again a parody made up for the purposes of this story. This also applies to the EUROBEATS Festival as well; I don't believe that it's a real festival, but I could be wrong.**

 **Also, no music quoted within the story belongs to me. The rights to any and all pieces used belong to their artists and record labels. I did buy a copy of the single CDs that the songs are from though, so thank iTunes for** **that** **.**

' _Insert thought here_ '=character thoughts

 _Flashback Is in Italics with nothing around it_

 _-Song lyrics are shown in italics between dashes-_

 **GX Chapter 3** **:** **Stray Sparks**

 _ **Bayside Park, Odaiba, Tokyo**_

"What the hell?" Chris asked, eyes locked onto the figure standing in the smoke as it slowly dispersed, revealing them to the early morning air. As if not hearing her question the figure spoke, their high-pitched voice sending shivers down her spine.

"Aww, Leiur, you almost took all the fun," Micha said, eyes glancing at her counterpart, a childish pout on her face. "Micha wants a turn to _play_ with the bang bang girl too!"

' _Bang bang girl? Whoever she is...if that attack came from her, she's dangerous…'_ Chris thought, eyes narrowing as she brought her weapons up to bear at the duo across from her. Eyes narrowing in caution, she remained silent as Leiur spoke up, a small hint of amusement in her voice as she dropped from the archway to the ground and walked over to join her companion.

"Now now, Micha. Mistress Carol wouldn't like it if you interrupted one of the others' playtime, would she?" At the other autoscorer's hesitant nod, Leiur continued, her eyes locking onto where Shirabe and Kirika stood beside Chris, their armed gears drawn and ready for action.

"However, if you're that desperate to play, I'm sure that the other two of them will be more than happy to entertain you."

"Really? Oh goodie, Micha gets some new toys to play with!" Micha replied, a vicious smile emerging on her face as she turned toward the trio. Her blade-like claws glistening under the glow of the park lights, she continued to speak, what looked to be flames making themselves known in her hands. "Micha hopes that they won't break too quickly. What's the fun in getting new toys if I break them too soon?"

"Let's see you try it then," Chris replied, eyes narrowing in a mix of frustration and determination. Stepping up next to her with scythe in hand, Kirika nodded, her olive eyes not leaving sight of the duo across from her, even as Shirabe stood to join them, a pair of what appeared to be yo-yos held in her hands.

"Don't mind if I do!"

With that, Micha sprang forward before lashing out, a sphere of flame appearing instantly in hand and forcing the trio's eyes to widen. Leaping away just as Micha's flame covered fist slammed into the ground she stood on, Chris opened fire, a rain of energy arrows springing forth from her weapons at the new arrival and forcing her on the defensive, even as she landed near the edge of the park. As she willed another set of arrows to appear she found herself back under attack, a fresh barrage of golden coins streaking toward her. ' _Shit!'_

Before they could connect however, a barrage of saws intercepted the attack, the blades meeting the coins mid flight and detonating in mid-air. Turning her head in the direction where the intercepting blades had come from, she let out a small smile as Shirabe stood ready, the doors on her pigtail armor open and yo-yos in hand as she shot a glare toward Leiur.

"You're not the only team here. Let's show her what we've got, Kirika!" Shirabe said, her eyes locking onto where Leiur stood. Taking advantage of the opening her friend created, Kirika closed the gap on Leiur, scythe blade glinting wickedly in the early morning moonlight.

"We got you!" she called out before she brought the blade crashing in from the side, the weapon cutting through the air toward Leiur's body. But before it could make contact, Leiur bent backward, her body moving at an unnatural angle that caused the blonde's eyes to widen. ' _What the...what is she?'_ she thought, blade passing harmlessly over Leiur's bent back. Not allowing an opportunity to go to waste, Leiur struck back, delivering a quick blow to Kirika's stomach that sent her stumbling back before leaping away and unleashing a hail of coins that forced her opponent backward, her scythe's blade spinning desperately in an attempt to deflect the assault.

"Kirika!" Shirabe called out, her eyes wide as her friend danced away, the scythe blade knocking the last of Leiur's coins away before she came to a stop, a reassuring smile on her face as she looked at Shirabe briefly. Before Kirika could reply however, her eyes widened as Micha closed the distance between them, her glaws aglow as a brilliant red crystal shot forth toward her, forcing her on the evasive once again.

"Aww...I missed…oops," Micha said, a manic look on her face as the projectile she had shot at Kirika made impact with a nearby boat, exploding on impact and consuming it in a brilliant blaze.

"I won't miss this time."

Not waiting for a reply she continued on the attack, glowing red circles appearing in front of both palms before she thrust them forward, streams of flame bursting forward toward Kirika.

"Kirika!" Shirabe shouted as the blonde leapt out of the way of the assault again only to come to a skidding stop near a pavilion by the docks. Taking note as the flames consumed another vessel at the dock, Shirabe went on the offensive, the saw blades on the bottom of her boots whirring and propelling her forward. Lashing out with both yo-yos toward Micha's head, Shirabe's eyes narrowed as Micha batted her weapons aside almost casually, the bladed disks retracting almost instantly at Shirabe's command back to her waiting hands. "Well...try this then!"

Not letting up the attack, she spun in place, a pair of larger sawblades unfolding from within her ponytail armor and whirring to allowing Micha to react, she brought them forward, the blades converging on Shirabe's target in a flash and a vibrant whir.

"Is that all you have? It's not going to be any fun for me to play with you if it is," Micha said, a vicious smirk on her face as she took note of the incoming blades. Before Shirabe could reply, the autoscorer grinned widely before catching the blades with ease. Taking note of the look of frustration on Shirabe's face, Micha continued, even as her claws dug into the sawblades themselves, filling the air with the sound of metal grinding against metal.

"You're too slow for Micha's taste...and too weak too. Micha's going to enjoy _playing_ with YOU," She said, before another pair of scarlet circles appeared around her hands. Grinning viciously, she clenched her fists, the blades held within them shattering with ease. Before Shirabe could react Micha was on her, her mechanized fists wreathed in flames as they struck home, raining blow after blow to her stomach and body.

"Shirabe!" Kirika shouted out before springing toward Micha, her scythe blade raised and ready to strike. But before she could get there, a hail of bullets forced the autoscorer to go on the defensive and leap aside as Chris re-entered the fray, double-barreled gatling smoking from her brief burst.

"Shirabe, you okay?" She asked, her eyes locked on where Micha had landed before a glint of gold grabbed her attention. Bringing her weapon to bear at where Leiur stood, she opened fire just in time to meet a fresh barrage of the autoscorer's coins. "Damnit...what the hell are these two?"

"Whatever they are, they're tough," Kirika replied as Chris' bullets made contact with Leiur's attack, filling the air with fresh explosions. "You think Maria-nee and Hibiki-san ran into something like them earlier?"

"I don't know," Shirabe said, finally climbing back to her feet just as Micha darted toward Chris, her left claw glowing a brilliant orange. "But we can't lose to these two!"

Stepping in front of the onrushing autoscorer, Shirabe willed a fresh saw blade to appear from her armor, the weapon spinning to life in front of her just in time to meet Micha's fist with a resounding clang. Digging her heels into the ground to stabilize herself, Shirabe scowled, Micha's smile growing bigger as Shirabe was pushed backward, saw wheels carving chunks out of the park's grassy surface.

"Ooh...so you DO have more that you can do! Micha likes that!" She said, disengaging from the stalemate and spinning around in an attempt to get a fresh angle of attack. "I like my toys to be stubborn. It makes it all the more fun to break them!"

"We're not your toys!" Kirika shot back, scythe blade swinging in and deflecting the autoscorer's attack away from Shirabe. Spinning around and going on the offensive, Kirika continued, her eyes briefly meeting Chris' own as she spoke, the older girl engaged in another long-range shootoff with Leiur. "Chris-senpai, leave her to us! Just worry about the other one!"

"You sure you two can handle that bitch?" Chris asked in reply, her eyes showing a brief flash of concern for the two younger girls. At Kirika's nodded response, she turned her focus back to Leiur before firing a volley of missiles toward the taller autoscorer, forcing her to dance away. ' _Damnit...she's definitely not human...not even my best skills can hit this bitch!'_

"We're sure, Chris-senpai," Shirabe answered as she unleashed a fresh volley of sawblades in Micha's direction, hoping to create an opening for Kirika to attack. "Just leave her to us!"

Nodding slightly and taking one last look as Micha danced out of the path of Kirika's scythe once again, Chris spoke up, a quiet concern in her tone that didn't go unnoticed.

"Then be careful you two. I don't wanna tell Maria about how you two got hurt fighting this one, got it?"

At Shirabe's determined nod, she smirked briefly before unleashing a fresh volley of missiles, the projectiles streaming toward both autoscorers and forcing them both to leap away. Following Leiur's movements, Chris leapt away in pursuit, leaving Shirabe and Kirika to themselves as Micha unleashed a rope of flame from her claws, destroying the remaining missiles with ease.

"She's strong," Kirika said, eyes narrowed in focus as Micha turned her attention to the duo, the manic smile on her face growing wider. "But so are we!"

"Aww...bang bang girl left to play with Leiur," Micha said, the grin on her face causing both girls to tense up. "Oh well. At least I still have a pair of toys to _play_ with."

Raising her claws up into a fighting stance as Kirika and Shirabe slid into their own stances, she continued, her voice filled with childish glee.

"Now...let's see just how durable Micha's two new toys are!"

 _ **Operations Center, S.O.N.G. Headquarters, Tokyo, Japan**_

"Get Tsubasa on the line! I want an update as to her status!" Genjurou called out, his eyes narrowed at the images being displayed on screen in front of him. Resisting the urge to wince as he watched Shirabe and Kirika re-enter combat against the being who had identified herself as Micha, he spoke up again, even as he glanced toward the video display showing Chris in a running shootout against the original opponent, known as Leiur.

"On it, sir!" A bridge bunny replied, causing Genjurou to nod in response. Turning to where Aoi sat, he spoke up again, the sinking feeling he had felt previously still hovering in his stomach despite his best efforts.

"Aoi, is there anything regarding Hibiki and Maria from Ogawa?"

"No, sir. They arrived at the hospital a few minutes ago," Aoi replied, her voice echoing softly through the room over the sound of the rest of the crew working on the various tasks and assignments. Looking up from her monitor to where the main display feed showed Kirika engaged in close quarters against Micha, she continued, a nervous expression on her face. "Sir, both of the opponents Chris and the others are facing. The signals we're getting from them are almost identical to each other. And not only that, but they're close to whoever the hell it was that Maria and Hibiki faced over in London."

"I know," Genjurou answered, the frown on his face deepening. Crossing his arms in front of the crimson dress shirt he wore, he continued, the news he had received from Ogawa previously meshing with the words of Chris' opponent from earlier. "And then we have to consider what Ogawa said about the state of both Hibiki and Maria's relics. If this Alchemy we're up against is that powerful...then we need to come up with some sort of countermeasure."

A pause, Genjurou considering his next course of action as Shirabe released a barrage of discs on screen, the saws slicing through the air and forcing Micha on the defensive before she could take advantage of having knocked Kirika away. ' _And that's not even mentioning how Shirabe and Kirika are still on Linker…'_ he thought, shaking his head slightly.

"Sir, I have Tsubasa on the line now!" The Bridge Bunny from earlier called out, summoning Genjurou's attention back from his thoughts. Nodding as he reached up to his earpiece, he spoke into the attached mic, the sound of his niece's motorcycle engine audible over the line.

"Tsubasa, what's your status?"

 _ **Near Rainbow Bridge, Minato, Tokyo, Japan**_

"I'm a bit busy right now," Tsubasa replied, a single sword drawn from her Symphogear armor as she raced down the bayside road. Bringing her blade up as her opponent closed the gap on them, she forced the bike around, her vehicle's rear wheel coming off the ground as she swung the vehicle around a full one hundred eighty degrees without slowing down. Returning her rear tire to the ground and shifting the motorcycle into reverse, she returned her focus back to the fight at hand, bringing her weapon up just in time to deflect Phara's broadsword away in a shower of sparks. "How are the others doing?"

"They're holding up so far," Genjurou replied, bringing a concerned look back to his niece's face as she stared at Phara. Bringing her katana back up and parrying another one of the autoscorer's attacks, Tsubasa replied, her eyes glancing at the road and then back to her opponent as they clashed, buildings and vehicles passing by the two fighters in a flash. "Still, they could use a little extra backup."

"I'll be there as soon as I can," she grunted out, pressing herself flat against her bike and avoiding a quick slash from Phara which had been aimed at her neck. Popping back up into a riding position, she counterattacked, the katana in her hand humming with an azure light as she slashed back at Phara. Watching in frustrated silence as the autoscorer tilted her vehicle, causing her attack to fly over Phara's head, Tsubasa reached up and ended the conversation before quickly bringing her weapon back around to guard. As her blade clashed against her opponent's she worked desperately to keep her vehicle from tipping over, the force of Phara's blade slamming into her weapon threatening to knock both her and her motorcycle off balance.

' _She's strong...and her technique is sharp too…'_ she thought, taking a glance over her shoulder briefly to check for any traffic and finding none. Bringing her blade back up, she reengaged the autoscorer, longsword clashing against katana again and again as sparks flew. ' _But even though she's strong, I won't lose here...I won't let her get to the others…'_

"For someone who's supposed to be a protector, you're not doing anywhere near a good enough job of protecting yourself," Phara taunted, earning a glare from Tsubasa in response. Raising her damaged weapon toward the sky as she zoomed past the autoscorer, Tsubasa brought the weapon crashing toward Phara's head, the blade shining brightly with a brilliant azure glow.

"I'm disappointed in you, miss Sentinel," Phara said, a sinister smirk emerging on her face. Raising her weapon up as an emerald glow shined brightly around its edge, she went on the attack, the longsword meeting Tsubasa's weapon with a resounding crash before a shower of sparks filled the street between them as Tsubasa struggled to maintain control of her vehicle. "I was expecting more of a fight out of you. Was I wrong to think that?"

Taking advantage of the opening, Phara went on the attack, the emerald glow around her weapon flashing outward as she lashed out. Eyes wide in surprise, Tsubasa reacted, bringing her katana up in an attempt to deflect the blow only for it to shatter on contact, Phara's blade smashing the weapon into pieces as the wind generated went unimpeded toward Tsubasa herself.

' _How is she-'_ Tsubasa thought before the edge of Phara's blade seemed to extend right at her. Throwing her vehicle slightly to one side, she tried to dodge only for the emerald glow to cut into her shoulder, forcing her to let out an agonized scream.

"Was I wrong? Because it looks like I was," Phara said as Tsubasa struggled to maintain control over her vehicle. "What's wrong? Where's your conviction?"

Refusing to let up the offensive, Phara swung her blade once more, a brilliant circle appearing over her blade as she slashed downward before a small tornado of wind appeared, the glowing emerald winds streaking toward Tsubasa's vehicle as they carved out chunks of asphalt.

' _Gotta move...I can't get hit by that!'_ Willing herself to ignore the pain coming from the bleeding gash that had been opened on her shoulder, Tsubasa threw her bike back around before revving the accelerator, her vehicle gaining speed just in time to get out of the way as the tornado passed by. ' _That was too close…'_ she thought, the tornado making impact with the building that had been next to her and tearing into it, brick and concrete flying everywhere as the lower level was ripped asunder.

' _I can't let her hit me again…'_ Tsubasa thought, revving the engine on her vehicle as the slash wound on her shoulder throbbed. Before she could race off Phara kept up the attack, her blade flashing once more as another wall of wind cut through the asphalt. Gritting her teeth as she swung her bike's rear wheel out of the way just in time, Tsubasa prepared to make a counter attack, drawing a new katana from its storage inside of her symphogear and pointing it toward the autoscorer.

"I thought you'd have more for me than this, _sentinel_. Or do you want to admit that you're outclassed?" Phara said, a taunting tone to her voice. Refusing to give in to the autoscorer's provocation, Tsubasa raced toward Phara and raised her blade to the sky, the little remaining moonlight reflecting off the blade and casting it in an ethereal glow. Before Phara could react, she swung the blade downward, an azure wave of light lashing out toward the autoscorer and forcing her to swerve her bike out of its path. "That attack was so predictable. What a failure of a guardian you've become."

' _Predict this…'_ Tsubasa thought as she tried to ignore Phara's continued taunts, her previous attack slamming into a parked car and causing it to explode. Before Phara could react further, she continued the assault, a storm of azure blades raining down toward Phara and cutting into the road before detonating, asphalt spraying upwards as her opponent was hidden from view by the smoke. ' _No way that got her…'_ she thought, eyes locked onto the smoke cloud she'd created. Bringing her sword into a defensive posture, she narrowed her eyes as Phara burst free from the smoke, her vehicle dented and scratched up, but still fully functional.

"Now that was more like it. That's more of what I expected from you," She said, broadsword raised and ready to strike. "But now I want you to show me more!" Revving her engine once again she raced in, broadsword swinging wildly with an emerald glow surrounding the blade. Ducking down and pressing her body flat against her machine, Tsubasa allowed the blade to pass by overhead before lashing out with a kick toward Phara, the autoscorer twisting out of the way before bringing her weapon back around in a horizontal slashing motion. Reacting quickly, Tsubasa brought her own weapon up to block, the katana blade catching the broadsword and parrying it away.

Glancing toward the nearby bridge, Tsubasa's eyes widened slightly, her plan changing in her mind as a fresh idea emerged. Swerving out of the way of another tornado Phara created and allowing it to smash into a parked car nearby, she raced past the autoscorer, her engine squealing in the early morning air. Looking back over her shoulder as Phara started to pursue her again, Tsubasa's eyes narrowed before she swerved to the side, a fresh blade of wind cutting through the asphalt where she had been just a second before.

"Running away, are you? Or is there something else at play?" Phara asked, her eyes following Tsubasa as she rounded a nearby intersection. Revving her motorcycle's engine, she moved to follow, a vicious smirk appearing on her face. "Alright, I'll play along, miss former idol. And this time, there won't be any escape for you."

-GX-

Explosions filled the air as bullet after bullet met coin after coin. Gritting her teeth as she threw herself to one side, Chris opened fire again, the double-barreled gatling on her left arm spewing round after round into the pre-dawn sky. ' _It's like she's getting faster...I don't have time for this shit!'_ she thought, the frustration over her opponent's abilities mixing with her concern over the events of the night. Taking note as Leiur leapt into the sky, she switched tactics, a fresh group of missiles unfolding from her Symphogear before shooting out at the autoscorer.

"You're at least providing me with some entertainment," Leiur called out as she floated in midair, the missiles approaching her as she spoke. Spinning in place to dodge the first couple, she went on the offensive, a fresh group of coins lancing forth into the remaining missiles, impacting them and filling the air with smoke and flames. Taking advantage of the smokescreen created, she continued the attack, a quartet of golden rings appearing around her as the smoke began to disperse.

"But it's time that we bring this charade to an end, don't you think?"

At her words, the glyphs shined brightly, their glow brightening the sky around Leiur. Eyes widening slightly, Chris threw herself to one side just in time to evade as a fresh barrage of coins shot forward, slamming into the park turf where she had been standing and detonating it on impact. Not letting up, Leiur opened fire again, another group of coins raining toward Chris and forcing her to open fire in response, projectiles meeting in midair and once more filling the sky with smoke. ' _Damn it...What the hell do I have to do?'_ Chris thought, returning her gatling to its stored form before shifting back into her paired crossbows. Taking a glance toward where Leiur's previous attacks had made impact with the ground, she paused, the smoke clearing out and revealing the autoscorer as she stood atop the park marina's office.

"I can see it in your eyes," Leiur spoke, breaking the silence that had fallen between them. "Your frustration...you're barely keeping up, aren't you?" Bringing her crossbows up toward Leiur, Chris opened fire, fresh bolts of phonically-charged energy lancing toward the autoscorer. Grinning widely, Leiur shook her head before moving, bending backwards and causing the bolts to fly just over her body. Standing back up, she returned fire, the coins streaking forth and impacting the ground around Chris. Smirking slightly, she snapped her fingers as Chris' eyes widened, the snow-haired girl leaping away just in time to avoid the explosion that erupted beneath her feet.

"Shut the hell up!" Chris snapped back. Combining her crossbows into a single weapon, she opened fire, a barrage of energy bolts shooting forth toward the autoscorer and making contact, sending Leiur staggering back. Not letting up the assault Chris changed weapons, this time going back to her gatlings as she darted forward, her workout sessions with her girlfriend coming in handy. Leaping into the air, she opened fire, the bullets streaming forth through the early morning air toward her staggered opponent.

"Good, but not good enough," Leiur replied, recovering as she darted forward, the barrage of bullets missing their mark by a matter of inches. Summoning a smaller group of coins into her hands as concrete sprayed into the air behind her, she went on the attack, the coins lancing toward Chris' weapon before she could react and cutting through the barrel, severing it effortlessly.

' _Shit!'_ Chris thought, her mind racing at the ease that Leiur's assault had sliced through her weapon. Gritting her teeth in frustration, she spun in midair as she returned her weapons to her armor, the remaining group of Leiur's coins missing by inches. Landing on the rooftop opposite from her opponent, Chris summoned another weapon into her hands, the forearm armor of her gear shifting first into a crossbow before making another shift into a shotgun-like form.

"Well, this is interesting…changing approach, are we?" Leiur asked, her words drawing a frustrated glare from Chris in response. Summoning another small group of coins into her hands, she went on the offensive, the projectiles streaking across the roof only to be shot out of the sky by a return shot from Chris' weapon as they approached. Taking the opportunity to close the distance, Chris threw herself into another spin cycle as Leiur closed ground as well, another small group of coins flying past her within inches and cutting through some of her hair in the process.

Chris would not relent however. Bringing her weapon to bear, she pulled the trigger, shotgun barking loudly and unleashing its payload at Leiur. Spinning out of the way as the shell passed by her before detonating, she closed the gap further before unleashing another small group of coins Chris' way and forcing her to leap out of the way as they made impact with the surface below her, detonating and filling the air with concrete spall.

Regaining her balance, Chris returned fire, the shotgun's payload forcing Leiur to twist to one side to let it pass. Leiur wouldn't let her continue the attack however. Before she could reset, the autoscorer closed the gap, knocking her weapon aside before throwing a volley of punches Chris' way, her fists glowing the same brilliant gold as her coins as they made contact with Chris' stomach, air leaving her lungs in an instant. Taking advantage of the opening, Leiur spun around, grabbing the wielder by her arm and flipping her over the edge of the building and onto the park turf below, causing her to scream in pain.

"I told you...there's only so long that you can keep up. But thanks for providing me with so much entertainment," Leiur said as she stood at the edge of the building, a fresh group of coins appearing in her hands as another quartet of glyphs appeared in the air around her. As Chris tried to climb to her feet, Leiur opened fire, a barrage of coins and stone columns streaking forth toward her...only to crash into a barrier that appeared in front of her, the translucent light shield crackling brightly as Leiur's attack made impact against it, shrouding Chris in smoke.

"Oh? So you decided to stop hiding, did you?" Leiur asked, her eyes glancing toward the park's entrance. Seeing nothing there, she returned her focus to where Chris had landed, the smoke dispersing just in time to reveal Elfnein standing in front of Chris, arms outstretched toward Leiur as the barrier faded. Glaring up at Leiur with a defiant look on her face, Elfnein spoke up, the young woman's words quiet, yet pointed.

"I'm not going to let you hurt her," Elfnein said, her cobalt blue orbs staring up at Leiur. Glancing quickly behind her to where Chris stood, she continued, a determined look on her face. "Carol is wrong about this world, Leiur. Don't you understand that?"

"It's not my place to be concerned with how my mistress views the world," Leiur said, an annoyed look crossing her face. Bringing a fresh group of coins into her hands, she continued, even as she slid back into a fighting stance. "All that matters to me is if she does whatever she's trying to do in an entertaining way."

' _Her mistress? What is she talking about?'_ Chris thought, eyes narrowed in focus at Leiur. ' _And what is this girl doing here? I told her to run!'_

"Hey, what are you doing here? I told you to get to safety, didn't I?" Chris said, her words causing Elfnein to look back towards her briefly. Pausing for a moment to consider her words, Elfnein spoke up, her voice remaining soft, even as she stared toward the Autoscorer.

"You did. But I can't let you get hurt by her," she said, her words causing Chris' eyes to widen. "I know I won't be much good in a fight, but I can at least try to defend us. And besides...there's something I need to do."

A pause, as Chris processed what the woman in front of her had just said. Nodding slowly and not looking away from where Leiur stood, she could feel her body tense up as she evaluated her options. ' _I don't have a weapon besides my missiles…if she can stand up against that bitch's alchemy, even just briefly so that I can get my weapon back, we might have a shot though...'_

"Okay. Just don't get yourself killed!"

Silence fell, Elfnein nodding in response to Chris' words. Frowning at their interaction, Leiur spoke up, an annoyance making itself known in her voice.

"If you're done talking…" she said, a vicious grin coming back to her face. "Then let's dance, shall we?"

-GX-

"What the hell is this chick made of?" Kirika asked, her words earning a glare from Shirabe. Ducking under another attack from Micha's claws and letting their heat wash over her briefly, she continued even as the autoscorer pressed the attack. "She's crazy strong!"

"Kirika, concentrate!" Shirabe shouted back, saw wheels grinding through the turf beneath her as she struggled to defend against another blow from Micha. Spinning to the side and allowing her to go past, Shirabe countered, forcing Micha to leap away in order to dodge the giant rotary saw that threatened her. ' _She's insanely strong...she can't be stronger than the Nephilim was, could she?'_

Nodding at her friend's words, Kirika stepped in front of Micha with scythe blade already in motion. Reaching up and grabbing the blade, Micha smirked widely before clenching her fist, the blade snapping into pieces.

"You're being such naughty toys," she began, an orange glow encasing her claws as she moved to attack. "Let Micha show you how it's really done!"

It happened quickly. Before Kirika could react Micha was on her, a flame encased claw streaking in and catching her in the stomach. Not letting up an inch, Micha followed up instantly as her other claw swept in, sending Kirika tumbling away.

"Kirika!" Shirabe shouted, eyes widening slightly before spinning to the side as a blazing crystal passed by where she'd been standing. Refocusing on Micha, she summoned a pair of large chainsaws just in time to catch the oncoming attack, their weapons clashing loudly.

"Micha likes to play with you," Micha said as she disengaged from their clash. Spinning away as Shirabe's saws cut the air behind her, she summoned another blazing rod in one hand as Shirabe leapt away. "You're such a good pair of toys! Micha wants to break you even more!"

"You're not gonna touch her," Kirika called out, her eyes smoldering with anger. Summoning a pair of smaller scythes into hand she leapt forward and engaged Micha, her weapons meeting Micha's own in a shower of sparks. "And we're not toys for you to 'play' with!"

"Oh? Then prove it to Micha," Micha replied, the wicked grin she wore growing wider. Showing Kirika's scythes upward and away from her body, she spun in place before making contact, the heated rod striking Kirika directly in the side

Pressing her advantage she followed up, landing a flurry of blows to Kirika and leaving her reeling. Stepping out of the way of a hastily-fired disc barrage by Shirabe, Micha brought the flaming rod back around, the glowing weapon striking home and sending Kirika tumbling away in agony.

"To Micha, you're all just toys to be broken. After all...Micha's the strongest of Micha's family, so most things are just toys to Micha!"

' _What do we have to do? She's just so strong…'_ Shirabe thought, eyes glancing toward where Kirika struggled to climb back to her feet. Shaking her head, she returned her focus to the battle as Micha went on the attack, a sphere of flame erupting from her mouth. Eyes widening as she figured out the target of Micha's wrath, she went on the move, willing her symphogear to move faster. ' _Come on...gotta get there…'_

"I won't let you touch Kirika!" She called out, the sawblades attached to her foot armor whirring faster and tearing out chunks of the park turf as she raced to intercept the attack. Sliding to a stop just in front of her friend, she quickly summoned a pair of circular saws, placing them in the path of the flames. ' _Please hold up….'_ she thought as the ball of flame slammed into the first of the saws, warping it on impact. Feeling the ground underneath her give way, she willed herself to hold firm, the sphere of flame slowly melting through her saw but shrinking noticeably.

Micha wouldn't give her the chance to relax however. As the fireball dispersed, taking Shirabe's first saw with it, the autoscorer charged in with her claws ablaze. Ducking under the first strike, Shirabe quickly brought her remaining saw around in an attempt to get the autoscorer's attention. It wouldn't work though. Bringing up her claw and deflecting the disc away, Micha stepped closer before lashing out, her boot catching Shirabe in her stomach and sending her skidding back.

"Come on, come on! Micha wants to play with you more!" Micha called out, her claws igniting once again. Gritting her teeth, Shirabe brought her single saw blade back in front of her just in time to defend herself, Micha's claws crashing against the rotating saw shield again and again.

"Back off!" Kirika called out, darting back toward the fray with paired scythes in hand. Ducking under the blow and stopping her attack, Micha grinned widely before countering, her claws meeting Kirika's weapons and sending sparks falling to the turf beneath them as they resumed their bladed dance of death.

' _Kirika...I owe you one…_ ' Shirabe thought as she gathered herself. Taking note of how her circular saw had become warped under Micha's assault, she ejected the disk before returning the arm that held it to her Symphogear armor. ' _At this rate...we're in trouble…'_ she thought, eyes not leaving the fight as she looked for an opening to step in. Deciding to step in as Kirika leapt back to avoid a strike from Micha's claws, she opened fire, a fresh barrage of discs shooting through the dawn sky.

"Ooh, so you're ready to play some more?" Micha asked as she brought her arms up, a scarlet circle glowing brightly around each before ropes of flame shot forth, meeting the discs mid flight and detonating them before they could make contact. "Okay, Micha will play with you more then!"

"Shirabe, look out!" Kirika called out, her words reaching her friend's ears as Micha leapt closer, claws a brilliant orange. Spinning out of the way of the first strike, Shirabe ducked under the second before Micha found an opening, her elbow crashing into Shirabe's back and sending her to the turf. ' _Insane strength…'_ she thought before rolling to the side, a blazing crystal rod slamming into the turf where her head had been just a second before.

Pushing herself back to her feet, Shirabe found herself back under pressure as Micha kept up the attack, a single clawed fist hitting home and sending her skidding backward again. Before she could fully recover, Micha opened fire again, another orb of flame streaking forth from her mouth toward where Shirabe stood.

' _...I don't have time to get a shield ready…'_ Shirabe thought, her mind racing. Throwing herself to the side as the fireball passed by her, she found herself right in Micha's path as a barrage of blazing crystals headed her way. ' _She baited me?! No time…!'_ she thought before bringing her arms to cross guard in front of her face just in time for the first of the pillars to slam into the ground, kicking up dirt and shrouding her in a cloud of smoke when the pillar detonated.

"Shirabe!" Kirika shouted, eyes wide as the remaining pillars joined in, exploding on contact. Glaring at Micha, she went on the attack, combining her mini-scythes into a fresh weapon before engaging the autoscorer once again, scythe blade clashing eagerly against Micha's claws. Disengaging from the clash and leaping away, Kirika continued her attack, a pair of additional blades appearing from her scythe before she slashed out, the added blades streaking toward Micha directly.

"You two are so much fun to play with!" Micha called out, her smile growing wider. Batting the pair of scythe blades to the side, she attempted to close the distance between herself and Kirika, fist cocked back. Not backing down Kirika moved to meet the attack, splitting her scythe into a pair of weapons and slashing upward. Leaping aside as the smoke from the attack on Shirabe cleared, Micha's eyes widened slightly as she continued.

"Aww...no fair. You cheated!" she yelled, her claw pointing toward the dispersing smoke as a ruby glow filled the area. As Kirika turned to look at what Micha was pointing at, the glow faded from view to reveal Shirabe, her arms crossed in front of her face. Dropping her arms back down to her sides, Shirabe spoke up, the exertion taking its toll.

"We're...not...done here," She said, her breathing unsteady. Turning toward where Kirika stood, she smiled softly, an unspoken gesture that caused her friend to perk up. Pouting at her words, Micha spoke up, a clear agitation to her voice.

"Only because you cheated! But don't worry, Micha will fix that!"

"I won't let you!" Kirika cried out, paired scythes crossed in front of her. Charging in and slashing upward she re-engaged Micha, the autoscorer twisting out of the way before countering as their dance resumed.

-GX-

' _That's right...follow me…'_ Tsubasa thought, eyes glancing briefly over her shoulder as Phara resumed her attack, blade slashing downard. Swerving to the side just enough to evade the produced wall of air as it passed her by and cut through the pavement, she returned her focus to the road in front of her, maneuvering her vehicle into the on-ramp for the Rainbow Bridge. ' _Come on...just gotta get there…'_

"A change in venue won't help you, if that's your plan," Phara taunted her, her voice echoing in the tunnel as they emerged onto the bridge. Revving her bike's engine and quickly catching up to Tsubasa, she lashed out, her blade being met by Tsubasa's own. "And I'm starting to get tired of this little game of tag. You're proving to be more of a failure than I thought."

"We'll see about that," Tsubasa replied, slowing her vehicle and breaking their clash. As Phara shot ahead, she slashed upward, a wave of azure light shooting from her blade and forcing the autoscorer to slide her vehicle sideways, the wave cutting through the pavement and missing her by inches. A frown written on her face, Tsubasa refused to relent, slashing downward after Phara as she caught up to her, only for her blade to be met mid-swing.

"How lackluster an attack. You sure you can't do better?" Phara asked, a cruel smile on her face. Instantly her blade was shrouded in an emerald glow, catching Tsubasa off guard and forcing her to release her weapon, Phara's own cutting through the katana with ease. Taking advantage, she contorted her body and kicked out, making contact with Tsubasa's side and knocking her off balance. "I expected so much MORE from you!"

Gritting her teeth as Phara raced ahead of her before turning around, Tsubasa regained control over her vehicle before going back on the attack. Summoning a new blade into her hand and revving her motorcycle's engine, she raised the weapon skyward as a large group of azure blades appeared behind her. ' _I won't let her get to the others...I CAN'T let her through…'_ she thought, swinging her weapon downward and sending her projections at her opponent.

"Is that really the best you can do right now?" Phara asked, annoyance in her eyes. Raising her blade, she lashed out, a wave of green energy surging from the blade and meeting Tsubasa's swords in mid-air. "Come now, oh former idol. Where's your creativity? Where's your sense of flair? Don't tell me you've lost it since you retired!"

"I've lost nothing," Tsubasa replied, her frustration in her voice. Revving the throttle as her vehicle's tires squealed on the blacktop, she continued, her eyes narrowing in determination. "I chose to take my life in a different direction of my own free will. And now I'll show you the resolve that allowed me to do so!" At that, she kicked off the ground, her motorcycle racing toward where Phara waited. Pressing a button on her bike's console, Tsubasa pressed herself against its back, the dark blue panels along its sides flipping forward and combining into a blade.

"Then let's see just how far that resolve will take you!" Phara called back. Swinging her vehicle around toward Tsubasa's onrushing motorcycle, she revved the engine before moving to intercept. Raising her blade toward Tsubasa's vehicle, she stabbed forward, a fresh burst of wind lancing toward the vehicle and missing by a matter of inches. Before she could launch a second attack Tsubasa reacted, throwing herself off of her vehicle as it crashed headlong into Phara's own and consuming both vehicle and rider in a sphere of flames.

' _Did that get her?'_ Tsubasa thought as she rolled to a stop nearby. Pushing herself off the pavement, she turned towards the site of the crash, the cloud of smoke from the incident hiding any sign of survival from view. ' _No. There's no way that got her…'_ she thought, drawing another blade from her Symphogear's storage. Narrowing her eyes, she brought her weapon up in a defensive position as a figure emerged from the smoke and flames, blade drawn.

"Now that was more like it," Phara said, a vicious smile on her face. Swinging her sword to one side, a gust of wind erupted, dispersing the smoke around her and revealing the minimal wear she'd received. "Show me more fight like that, _sentinel_!"

"As you wish," Tsubasa replied, transforming her sword into a second mode, the now larger blade shining a brilliant blue. Without hesitation, she swung the blade downward, a massive wave of azure light slicing through the pavement toward Phara. Stepping out of the way and allowing the wave to pass, Phara went on the counter attack, closing the distance between them before she brought her blade downwards, meeting Tsubasa's own in a shower of sparks.

"I wonder what skill you've been hiding, _sentinel._ Was that it, or is there something else?" Phara said, the grin on her face growing wider. Before Tsubasa could react, a glyph on Phara's blade glowed brilliantly, her weapon digging deep into Tsubasa's own before shattering it into pieces. "But here's a little secret. It doesn't matter what type of sword you use. I'll just keep destroying them all!"

"We'll see about that," Tsubasa replied, ducking out of the way of Phara's blade as it cut through the air around her. Sweeping her leg out in an attempt to take the autoscorer's legs out from under her, Tsubasa quickly countered when Phara leapt over the attack, her armored fist rising upward and hitting home in Phara's stomach.

Climbing back to her feet as Phara stepped backward, Tsubasa pressed the advantage. Her blades deploying, she cartwheeled into a handstand before rotating, the blades flashing brightly under the bridge lights. ' _Let's see how you handle this…'_ she thought, Phara bringing her weapon up to defend repeatedly against her strikes, the wind-shrouded weapon deflecting each attack.

"I'll give you some credit: you don't back down. However, you don't have what you need to defeat me, _sentinel_." Phara called out before moving to counter attack. Leaping away from Tsubasa, she slashed downward, a literal wall of emerald wind slamming into the pavement in front of the bluenette, sending her tumbling back.

' _She's countering me perfectly…I need to do something...'_ Tsubasa thought, pushing herself off the pavement just in time to avoid a blade of air as it cut through the pavement. Drawing another katana from storage, she lashed out in a kick, ankle blade meeting Phara's sword just in time to knock it to the side. Phara was unphased however, her sword glowing brilliantly as she slashed it back upward, slicing through the ankle blade and cutting it into pieces, the wind it created throwing Tsubasa backward again.

Not to be deterred however, Tsubasa tried a different approach as her boots dug into the pavement beneath her. Raising a hand to the sky, she brought it swinging downward as a sword the size of a bus streaked toward the pavement from above Phara's head.

"You're getting desperate. I can see it in your eyes now," Phara said, the cruel grin she wore not leaving her face. Bringing her sword up and meeting the attack, she was forced downward slightly, her knees bending with the added weight. ".It shows in this attack, too. You've lost, _Kazanari-san_. This battle's been mine since before it even started!"

At her words, Phara's sword glowed brightly, its emerald shine filling the area with light as the massive weapon Tsubasa had summoned began to collapse while still driving her downward. Phara grinned, her sword cutting into the massive blade as she pushed against it, her weapon's emerald shroud only glowing brighter. Seconds later, the giant blade finally gave out, cracks appearing all along its surface before it exploded in a flash of crimson light.

' _How...how does she keep…'_ Tsubasa thought, eyes narrowed in anger as her opponent walked clear of the explosion, sword at her side. Stopping just in front of the freshly-made crater, Phara spoke up, a haughtiness to her words.

"You can keep struggling all you want, but it won't matter."

"We're not done here," Tsubasa shot back, her hands grasping her weapon tightly. Rolling her eyes at Tsubasa's words, Phara frowned before speaking once more, weapon gleaming wickedly.

"That's where you're wrong, _Kazanari-san_. You'll never win. And do you want to know why that's the case?" Charging forward, blade raised into the air, she went on the attack, her greatsword crashing into Tsubasa's katana and shattering it in an instant before she raised it once more. "My weapon is a philosophical weapon designed with just a single purpose: the destruction of any and all swords that I come across. And unfortunately for you, guess what most of your weapons are?"

Stepping in closely as Tsubasa's eyes widened at the implication, she continued her attack, her blade swinging downward toward the bluenette's upper body and cutting through the relic pendant's active state along with her armor. The crystal cracked instantly when it was struck, Tsubasa's symphogear armor dissolving as blood began to flow from the wound Phara had left behind.

Before Tsubasa could even react, Phara continued her assault, stepping in and grabbing her by the arm while flipping her overhead and driving her into the pavement as her Symphogear returned to its pendant form, leaving her exposed.

"But let's dig beyond just that. Your resolve has been far too lacking, _Kazanari-san_. Even if you DID use something other than swords, it wouldn't matter without that. I wonder...are you still not sure what to do with yourself after what happened with your clan? Or do you still think that you're nothing more than a tool?" Stepping on the fallen wielder and grinding her heel into Tsubasa's stomach, she raised her blade once again, the tip of the weapon held just over Tsubasa's neck as she took in the downed wielder's angered expression.

"It's too bad. Maybe if you actually had moved past whatever it is that's holding you back, this fight wouldn't have ended up this way. But I doubt it. Between my wind alchemy and my sword breaker, it wouldn't have mattered. But I did expect MUCH more from you."

' _I'm sorry, everyone...I failed…'_ Tsubasa thought, eyes glaring defiantly at Phara as she raised her blade, ready to strike. But before she could bring it down through Tsubasa's neck, Phara stopped, her eyes widening slightly as she stopped moving.

Shaking her head slightly, Phara stepped off the injured Symphogear adaptor, though not before stomping on her stomach just one last time for good measure. Her weapon vanishing in a flash of emerald light, she spoke up, her eyes glancing toward Tsubasa as an emerald cyclone spun up around her.

"Looks like you have luck on your side, _sentinel_. I won't kill you today. But next time we meet, there won't be such mercy."

Vanishing along with the cyclone, Phara's words hung in the early morning air. Pushing herself off the asphalt, Tsubasa stared into the burning flames left by the explosion, the autoscorer's words hovering in the front of her thoughts and playing over and over again. Reaching up and grabbing the now cracked relic where it hung around her neck, she stared into the fire before closing her eyes, her fist clenching in anger.

"Damnit…"

-GX-

"Get a transport out to the Rainbow Bridge now! And send a medical team along with them!" Genjurou shouted, Fujitaka nodding as he sprang into action. As the bridge bunny's fingers raced across his keyboard, Genjurou fell into thought, his arms crossed in front of him. ' _Damnit...a philosophical weapon? And one perfectly able to counter Tsubasa, too. Do they have more of them?'_

"Sir, transport is preparing to head there now. Do you want me to send another one to Chris, Shirabe, and Kirika's location?"

"Do it," Genjurou replied, snapping out of his thoughts. Returning his eyes to the main monitor as Shirabe and Kirika barely managed to get out of the way of a sphere of flame spat by Micha, he continued. "I want to get them out of there as soon as possible. Do we have anything from Ogawa?"

"Nothing new. They've taken both Hibiki and Maria in for initial examination, but there's nothing more available." Aoi replied, ehr eyes reading over her monitor as it displayed the status of both _Shul Shagana and Igalima_.

Frowning in response as his eyes continued to monitor the battles on screen, Genjurou could only watch as Chris opened fire with a fresh group of missiles, Leiur rushing away from some and shooting down the others with her coins before returning fire. As the autoscorer's coins slammed into the barrier projected by Elfnein on screen, Genjurou spoke up, fingers tapping loosely on his arms.

"Whoever that woman who's helping Chris is, she seems to know something," he muttered, voice low as he watched what was happening on screen. Taking note as Kirika ducked under a swipe from Micha before landing a kick to her stomach, he fell into thought, even as Aoi spoke up, the screen in front of her aglow.

"Sir...we're getting readings when that barrier appears which match the readings we were getting last night," She said, her eyes darting back to the monitor as an alert appeared. Turning to Aoi, Genjurou nodded, his mind racing to incorporate the information provided.

' _Then the question becomes what does she know...and if she's willing to help us.'_

Before he could speak however, the image of Leiur freezing in place after landing a blow caught his attention. Watching closely as Chris skidded backward, he frowned before speaking up.

"Tomosato, get everyone who could be of help in this situation in here as soon as possible." Stopping as Aoi nodded, he sat back down in his seat before continuing, his voice quiet but clear. "I get the feeling this is only the beginning, and that we'll need all the help we can get."

-GX-

"Looks like my entertainment is over for now," Leiur said, a reluctance to her voice as she stirred back to life. Another group of gold circles appearing around her, she continued, the circles flashing brightly. "It's too bad that we have to cut this so short."

Before Chris could react, the glyphs shone brightly, unleashing a fresh barrage of coins toward where she stood. Leaping backward as her missile racks unfolded with another barrage, she opened fire, her shots impacting against the oncoming storm and filling the air with explosions, but only catching some of the oncoming assault.

' _Shit!'_ She thought, her eyes widening as the remaining coins burst through the smoke. Gritting her teeth and crossing her arms in front of herself, Chris prepared to defend herself as Elfnein stepped in front of her, a brilliant silver glyph of her own shining around both arms.

"What are you-" She called out as Elfnein thrust her arms forward, a fresh barrier appearing just in time to intercept Leiur's onslaught, the coins crashing into the shield before detonating. Glancing toward where she had seen Leiur leap away from, Chris noticed a brief flash of ruby light shine before it disappeared from view, the smoke from the blast obscuring her vision as the last coins exploded.

"Damnit, she got away!" she said, her frustration boiling over as the smoke began to disperse, revealing nothing but the battered park landscape. Turning to where Elfnein stood, she took a deep breath before continuing, tension slowly starting to exit her body.

"Hey...I owe you a thanks, don't I?"

"Ah…" Elfnein replied, letting the barrier drop before she turned toward Chris, her face showing the signs of exertion. "I couldn't allow you to get injured or possibly die here, so it was nothing."

"Maybe, but I still owe you a thanks anyways." A pause, Chris looking through the slowly dispersing smoke. "You said there was something you had to do earlier. And that bitch we just fought off seemed pretty dead set on killing you."

"Just who the hell were they, anyways?" Kirika asked as she made her way over to join them, Shirabe right beside her. "I know the one we fought said her name was Micha, but...she was WAY too strong to be human." Nodding in agreement, Shirabe prepared to speak up, only for Elfnein to cut her off, her voice quiet as she spoke.

"I'm willing to answer what I can, but I need to meet with whoever the head of your organization is," she replied, her eyes glancing away from the group. Letting out a small sigh, she continued, her eyes turning toward where she had been watching from earlier. "I think...it may be better to just answer things once."

Narrowing her eyes in thought, Chris frowned, her eyes taking in the sight of the blonde woman in front of her. ' _They were coming after her for a reason. Question is, what...and does it have anything to do with what happened in London?'_ Shaking her head slightly as her Symphogear deactivated, she spoke up, eyes looking over Shirabe and Kirika carefully.

"You two okay?"

"Yeah, just a bit tired…" Shirabe said, her gear deactivating in a flash of light. "Took a couple of blows, but I'll be fine." A pause, her eyes gazing away from Chris and toward where the sun was rising.

"I'm fine too, but it was close," Kirika said, her normal energy slightly lacking as she spoke up,gear deactivating itself as she took in the damaged landscape. "Whoever that was, it took everything we had to get out of there in one piece. Hell, Shirabe even had to use _Asga-"_

"Kirika, didn't we say we wouldn't talk about that?"

"You did WHAT?" Chris said, her eyebrow raised in agitation and disbelief. Bringing her hand up to her face and sighing in exasperation, she continued. "I thought Genjurou-taichou told you two that using those skills could be cause for suspension, and not to do it under any circumstances?"

"I know he did," Shirabe answered, her voice quiet and barely audible. "I just...panicked and it happened."

"Maria's gonna be pissed at you for doing that," Chris replied, her eyes softening slightly. "Let alone Nastassja-san. You know that."

At Shirabe's silent nod, she turned to where Elfnein had stood, the taller woman making her way back with a small box under one arm.

"What the hell is that?" she asked, an eyebrow raised. Rejoining the trio of gear wielders, Elfnein spoke quietly, her eyes locking with Chris' own as their helicopter appeared from behind the nearby apartments.

"Part of why Leiur was after me," Elfnein said as the helicopter approached before descending toward the ground. The rotors buffeting the group with wind, she continued, even as Chris looked at her skeptically. "If I'm right, it could be a key to stopping her."

"Stopping who?"

Elfnein paused for a second, the delay in her words causing tension to flow through Chris' body before she finally spoke up, her words drawing the attention of Shirabe and Kirika as well.

"The person who's behind Micha and Phara. The alchemist, Carol Malus Deinheim."

Nodding slowly in response, Chris fell silent as a sick feeling arose inside herself. Turning toward where Elfnein stood, she signaled her to join them as they made their way to the helicopter, her thoughts running wild as she half-consciously grabbed the phone to call HQ.

' _I have a bad feeling that whoever this Carol is, she had something to do with what's going on in London. And if that's the case, then who knows what else she might have in store. Hibiki...if that was who attacked London, you better not have done anything reckless…'_

 _ **Unknown location, Unknown time**_

"Why did you call us back?" Phara asked, a tinge of annoyance in her tone as she stood on the platform assigned to her. Across from her, Leiur and Micha appeared, displeased looks on both autoscorer's faces. "We had them beaten. If you would have given even just Micha and Leiur a little more time, we could have trounced them completely!"

"You may have been able to, but now isn't the time," Carol replied, standing up from her throne. Walking down the steps slowly and making her way to Phara's platform, she continued, a coldness to her voice as it echoed through the silent chamber. "Or did you forget your orders tonight?"

"I know what my orders were, mistress," Phara said, her eyes glancing away from Carol's own. "But at the same time, we had an opportunity to take at least one of them out for good. We may not get that opportunity again."

"You'll get that opportunity sooner than you think," Carol shot back, a certainty to her words. Turning to look at where the other autoscorers stood, she continued, her words echoing around the chamber. "So please, TRY to be patient. I know that's such a tough concept for some of you."

"But Micha liked playing with them," Micha spoke up, her voice filling the area. "If they wouldn't have cheated, Micha would have won for sure!"

"Quit being a spoiled brat," Carol shot back, her gaze meeting Micha's with a cold fire inside of them. "You had your orders. And you executed them. The plan is more important than you breaking your toys. Or did you forget that too?"

"Leiur, Mistress is being mean to me…" Micha whined, her head turning to look at the taller autoscoreer. Shaking her head slightly, Leiur spoke up, her voice showing her displeasure.

"Don't look at me to bail you out. Whatever they did, now you know about it, so next time you see them, it can't catch you by surprise. You did remember to not show every skill you had, didn't you?"

Nodding slowly, Micha fell silent, her eyes looking away from where Carol stood.

"Then the next time you face them, they won't stand a chance, will they?"

"...they still cheated…"

"ENOUGH!" Carol shouted, her voice echoing through the chamber. Making her way to the edge of the platform as a glyph appeared, she continued, her frustration evident. "Next time you meet them in combat, you can do whatever, I don't care. But don't question me on my plan! I'm the one who created you. Don't think that I can't also destroy you. Is that clear?" Glaring in silence as Phara and Micha fell silent, she turned back to the glyph at hand before continuing.

"We'll begin phase two of the plan soon, so don't worry. You'll be getting plenty of opportunities very soon. Now if you'll excuse me, I have a meeting with our benefactors that I have to attend."

At that, she departed quickly, the chinese dress she wore barely rustling as she passed through the glyph, leaving the autoscorers to themselves. Rolling her eyes quietly as Carol disappeared, Leiur spoke up, her eyes sharp as she glared at Micha and Phara.

"The two of you acted like brats just now, I hope you know that."

"Oh, like you're much better," Garie said, finally breaking her silence. "Then again, considering that you and I are the only ones that Mistress didn't yell at...I guess we played our parts successfully, didn't we?"

"Says the one who's the mistress' pet," Phara said, earning an eye roll and a glare from Garie in reply. Taking advantage of the opportunity as Garie glared at her, she continued, a smug look on her face. "I bet the mistress had to punish you again, didn't she? What, did you have too much fun, Garie?"

"You would have enjoyed the looks on their faces, I'm sure. They seemed to enjoy my services before the end. Not like you'd know about that."

"That's enough," Leiur said, stopping their conversation from blowing out of control. "What Garie was doing for her part of the plan doesn't matter at this point. What matters is that we be here for when the mistress returns, and that we be ready to fulfill our roles when we do."

At that, the four of them fell silent, the dull groans of the gears around them replacing their chatter, the sound of the rotating gears counting down the time until their mistress returned.

-GX-

"So, care to explain what that display in London was about?" A hooded figure asked, her voice causing Carol to frown as she turned to face her. "While I have to give you credit on the amount of phonic gain we were able to record, it didn't exactly make much sense, given what we're working with you on."

"Nice to see you too, Prelati," Carol replied. "And to answer your question, I figured it could be a good way to see just who it is we're up against."

"And your conclusions are?" Prelati asked, reaching up and removing her hood, allowing it to hang loosely behind her. "I'm sure you can guess that Adam isn't pleased with what you did, which is why he asked me to speak to you."

"They're not anything to be afraid of," Carol replied, a small smile making an appearance on her face. "Maybe the most impressive of them was the one in Orange, but even then she didn't really seem like anything special to me."

"I'll take your word for that. But keep this in mind: you basically blew our cover tonight with that stunt of yours. Do not make a mistake like that again, or it won't be me who comes to visit next time."

' _If everything goes right, there shouldn't be a next time…'_ Carol thought, nodding in agreement. Silence fell over the two of them as Prelati stared out at what the structure in front of them, her eyes taking in the construction before speaking again.

"I see that construction seems to be going smoothly on the _Chateau_."

"About as well as I expected, given the support that you and the rest of the illuminati have provided," Carol said, her eyes taking in the sight of what looked to be a massive structure. "Hopefully it will be ready soon though. Do you have any update on the feature I'd asked about?"

"It's basically ready, although I'm not quite sure of its purpose," Prelati replied, her eyes narrowing slightly. "Carol, don't forget that this is an alliance. If this plan of yours gets in the way of our own, then…"

"I'm very well aware that our agreement could be annulled if I get in your way. I asked for that feature so that it could accelerate the search for that divine power your boss keeps talking about. You know that."

As if calculating what Carol's words could mean, Prelati remained silent as she stared at Carol. Frowning slightly, she shook her head before speaking, a threatening tone entering her voice.

"Then we expect results. This plan of yours...Basically, it had better succeed."

At her companion's words, Carol merely nodded before looking back at the looming structure in front of her. Clenching her fist that was out of Prelati's vision and training her eyes on the shorter alchemist in a glare, Carol fell into thought, even as the other alchemist looked unconcerned.

' _Oh, I'll succeed alright...but when I do, there won't be any need for you or the rest of the illuminati. You'll all be dead just like the rest of this world, and I'll have what I'm after...'_

"I've said what I needed to, Carol," Prelati said after a few minutes of looking over the structure in front of her. Turning to leave as she brought her hood up over her head, she continued, a glare making its way onto her face. "Remember though, we're watching you closely. Whatever that show you put on was about, Adam won't be so lenient the next time you do something like that."

With that, she pulled a pink crystal from her cloak before tossing it to the floor, a glyph appearing under her feet before she disappeared. Glaring at the spot the other alchemist had occupied, Carol spoke up, a confidence to her voice as she turned to depart herself.

" **Like you'll be able to stop me. All the pieces I need are falling right into place...and soon, the truth I seek will be known to everyone."**

 **Author's Postscript: _Once again, I'd like to apologize for the delay. Real life has gotten in the way at times, which pushed this chapter back a LOT. I ended up cutting short a bit so that I could get this out to you sooner, so next chapter you'll get to see the aftermath more fully. Thanks for taking the time to read this chapter, and i'll see you next time.-ZBD15_**


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